BY AARON RECUENCO
A Manila cop became the 13th member of the Philippine National Police (PNP) who succumbed to coronavirus disease (COVID-19), officials announced Thursday.
Police Staff Sergeant Edgardo Medrano died of acute respiratory failure secondary to the COVID-19, according to the data from the PNP Health Service.
Medrano was admitted to the hospital on July 23 after suffering from shortness of breath, fever and cough. He tested positive for coronavirus on July 25.
While he tested negative for the virus on August 3, he was transferred to the intensive care unit of a hospital due to persistent severe respiratory problems. He died on August 11.
“We mourn the loss of a comrade. We are now coordinating with his family for the initial police assistance and support to the family,” said Maj. Gen. Debold Sinas, director of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO).
The number of COVID-19 cases in the PNP increased anew and is now at 2,732 after 11 more PNP personnel tested positive in the latest release of the result of the test.
The figure includes the 42 cases of infection among police trainees at the Calapan City in Oriental Mindoro.
Calapan City Police Station was placed under lockdown after five of its uniformed personnel, a civilian employee, and an inmate tested positive for the virus.
A total of 1,800 PNP personnel, on the other hand, were able to recover.
PNP spokesman Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac said they are monitoring 2,202 suspected cases of COVID-19 and 764 probable coronavirus cases.
Most of the infected PNP personnel served as frontliners manning the checkpoints and enforcing the community-level quarantine rules.
The PNP leadership has already opened treatment and isolation establishments for their infected personnel. (Aaron Recuenco)
