4th Metro Manila cop recovers from COVID-19

MANILA, Philippines — Another policeman from Metro Manila has recovered from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) after battling it for over two weeks.

The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) on Friday announced that the cop, who was called “Patient #3,” was discharged on Thursday, April 9, from the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine where he was confined for over two weeks.

Patient #3, who is assigned to the NCRPO regional headquarters in Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City, is the fourth cop in Metro Manila to have recovered from the disease out of nine who tested positive for it.

The four recovered policemen tested negative for COVID-19 twice before they were discharged from the hospital.

Patient #3 will be subjected to health security protocols and will undergo 14-day self-quarantine measures inside the headquarters while continuously taking his medications.

NCRPO chief Maj. Gen. Debold Sinas assured that the police force is strictly implementing precautionary measures to lessen the risk of contracting the coronavirus.

“We are not CoViD resistant. As we head on to the frontline, the risks that we will be infected by this disease is high. Hence, we are strictly implementing precautionary measures. This is our duty and we will carry on the task. So please, stay home to prevent the virus from spreading further,” Sinas said in a statement.

Metro Manila cops have been securing the boundaries of the metropolis by manning 24-hour control points so that the chances of the virus spreading to neighboring towns, cities and municipalities are lessened, while frontline health workers have been attending to those who are already infected and others who are possible carriers of the disease.

“We celebrate with the family, friends and loved ones of our comrade Patient #3 for his recovery. We are proud of him for fighting a good fight. We can’t be any happier to see him back. His experience is a clear manifestation that the good Lord blesses his cops in the frontlines and strengthens us amidst this crisis,” Sinas added.

So far, there are 4,076 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country, of which 203 patients have already died while 124 were able to beat the disease.