The Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) said 27 more prisoners at the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) in Mandaluyong tested positive for coronavirus disease (COVID-19), bringing the total of infected inmates at the facility to 48.
They were transported to the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa where a quarantine site has been set up in the medium security camp for all prisoners who are confirmed and suspected COVID-19 cases.
“The said PDLs (persons deprived of liberty) were received properly by the medical staff of the quarantine facility and were checked by the medical doctor on duty. The PDLs are well and are asymptomatic. Continuous focused medical care and monitoring will be provided to ensure that no PDL will develop severe symptoms,” according to BuCor.
The 27 belong to the third batch of CIW prisoners that was transferred to NBP.
The first batch consisting of 18 was taken to the quarantine area on April 21 followed by two more prisoners on April 24.
The NBP quarantine site currently houses 20 confirmed COVID-19 cases from CIW, who were earlier exposed to a 72-year-old CIW prisoner, BuCor’s first COVID-19 patient admitted to the Sta. Ana Hospital.
They were taken to NBP after they tested positive for the virus. One BuCor medical staff at CIW also tested positive for COVID-19.
On April 23, BuCor confirmed that a 56-year-old male prisoner at NBP medium security camp became infected with COVID-19, its first case at the national penitentiary. The patient died on April 23 while confined at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM).
As of today, there are 50 COVID-19 positive cases under BuCor: 48 CIW prisoners, one NBP inmate and one BuCor medical staff. (Jonathan Hicap)