NO ID, NO ENTRY A policeman in personal protective equipment checks the identification card of a motorist at the border of San Jose del Monte City in Bulacan province and Caloocan City as the government regulates the movement of people to and from Metro Manila while the national capital and four other provinces are on lockdown due to a surge in COVID-19 cases. —NIÑO JESUS ORBETA
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) said Wednesday that another police officer had died from COVID-19, as it reported 126 new cases among its ranks.
As of June 9, the overall number of COVID-19 deaths had reached 70, and the number of infection cases had reached 25,190, according to the PNP health service.
There are 1,756 current active infections in this number, and a total of 23,364 recoveries (113 recorded new).
Chief PNP Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said the 70th death was a 34-year-old police corporal assigned at the PNP Special Action Force in Surigao del Sur, who died on June 7.
The officer was first brought to a hospital in Surigao del Sur on June 6 due to debilities or extreme fatigue before he was transferred to a hospital in Agusan del Sur the following day where he tested positive for COVID-19 in an antigen test.
While conducting an RT-PCR test to confirm the antigen test result, the police officer had a cardio-pulmonary arrest — which was later revealed to be related to cerebral dysfunction subsequent to vasculitis, secondary to a Sars-Cov2 infection. He was then declared dead at 9:30 a.m. the next day by his attending physician.
The result of his swab test later revealed that he was positive with COVID-19.
The Department of Health said that as of June 8, total COVID-19 infections nationwide is currently at 1,280,773, with 56,452 active cases, 1,202,257 recoveries, and 22,064 deaths.