(Eagle News) — The Philippine National Police has logged its 74th COVID-19 fatality as the country’s COVID-19 vaccination program continues.
In a statement, the PNP said a 54-year-old policeman from Iloilo City was the organization’s latest death due to the virus, which has already claimed over three million lives worldwide.
According to the PNP, the police officer experienced symptoms such as shortness of breath on June 8.
On the same date, he was admitted to a local hospital and underwent RT-PCR test.
The test yielded positive for COVID-19.
After battling COVID-19 for 21 days, the police officer succumbed to the virus.
PNP Chief Guillermo Eleazar condoled with the police officer’s kin, and gave them the assurance they would receive the benefits and assistance entitled to them.
Meanwhile, eight personnel suspected to be close contacts of the deceased have been identified and subjected to tests.
According to the PNP, four of them tested positive for COVID-19 while the others yielded COVID-19-negative results.
“Habang patuloy ang pagkalat ng virus sa ating pulis, doble ingat ang kailangan at kung kayo ay may pagkakataong magpabakuna ay gawin niyo na ito. Hindi lamang ito proteksyon para sa inyong sarili, ngunit proteksyon na rin sa inyong pamilya (While the virus spreads, let’s take extra precautions. And if you have the opportunity to get vaccinated, grab it. It’s not just for your protection but for your family’s as well)”, Eleazar said.
According to the latest PNP data, 97 more COVID-19 cases have been reported among police personnel, pushing the total to 27964.
Of these, 1725 are active.
Recoveries are at 26165, including the additional 139.