MANILA, Philippines — A police officer died of COVID-19 a week after he showed mild symptoms.
Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said yesterday the patient, a 40-year-old staff sergeant assigned at Camp Crame in Quezon City, said the patient underwent a swab test, which turned out positive, last July 8 after he experienced mild symptoms of COVID-19.
He was rushed to a hospital on July 12 for shortness of breath. Despite doctors’ efforts, the police officer died last Thursday, Eleazar said.
Seventy-eight PNP members have died after contracting COVID-19 since last year, 48 of them since January.
There are 1,315 active COVID-19 cases in the PNP, 47 of whom were found positive for the virus yesterday.
Since last year, 29,245 PNP personnel have contracted the virus. At least 27,852 or 94.65 percent of the patients have recovered.
Eleazar said a total of 61,759 police personnel have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccines while 20,691 are fully vaccinated.