By JEL SANTOS
Days after announcing that she has COVID-19, Education Secretary Leonor Briones said yesterday that she has tested negative for the dreaded disease.
On Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor), the 79-year-old secretary of the Department of Education revealed that she has contracted COVID-19 and she was asymptomatic.
Briones said she was tested again on April 2 upon learning that a government official she was with during a meeting had tested positive for COVID-19.
“Good news! Early this morning, nag-text si Secretary Duque, na ang test ko ay negative,” she said.
According to Briones, she sought the advice of Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año who was earlier tested positive for COVID-19.
Briones said Año recommended to her the traditional ways of healing to boost her immune system.
“Sa original statement ko, sinabi ko na ang COVID-19 ay hindi death sentence. I asked Secretary Ano if what is his formula, he recommended to me our traditional ways,” she said. “Traditional ways of healing para ma-cure or strengthen ang katawan to resist the virus.”
Briones said that she practiced gargling warm water with salt, drinking “salabat” or ginger tea, and eating a balanced diet as suggested by Ano and her relatives.
The DepEd Secretary said that she is not putting her guard down despite testing negative for COVID-19, saying she remains very careful until now.
“I am still being careful. This does not mean we will be careless, it does not mean that we will relax, or go outside because we already tested negative,” she said.
Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri has recovered from COVID-19.
Zubiri announced that he yielded negative for COVID-19 in his second test conducted by the Makati City Health Office.
“Today (April 12), we celebrate Easter Sunday as the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. As a day of thanksgiving I would also like to thank God and our Lord for a second chance in my life by healing me from COVID-19,” he said.
He thanked Dr. Paz Corrales of the Department of Health and a certain “Ma’am Wheng” of the Makati City Health Office for taking care of him.
Aside from Zubiri, Sen. Sonny Angara has also been declared COVID-19 free. (with a report from Vanne Terrazola)
