MANILA, Philippines – Two Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) inmates who tested positive for the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19 have died, the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) confirmed Tuesday.
BuCor spokesperson Col. Gabriel Chaclag said one of the two was the 72-year-old person deprived of liberty (PDL) who was tagged as the first case of COVID-19 in CIW.
“The two CIW PDLs succumbed to the disease at the hospitals,” Chaclag said.
Chaclag noted that a total of three inmates have already died due to COVID-19: two from CIW, and another from the Medium Security Compound of the New Bilibid Prison (NBP).
The 72-year-old CIW PDL who was confined to Sta. Ana Hospital expired over the weekend. On the other hand, the other CIW inmate has been in and out of East Avenue Medical Center (EAMC) because of her systemic lupus, kidney disease. She was admitted again at EAMC last April 13 because of pneumonia. She was tested for COVID-19 on April 14. She died last April 21. Her result that she tested positive of the disease came out on April 27.
Chaclag said 47 other PDLs from CIW who tested positive for the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 are under observation at Site Harry.
“So far, no severe symptoms,” he said.
Site Harry is a walled compound with a 12-meter high perimeter wall that is away from the residential area and prison cells.