CEBU CITY – The chief of police in Carmen town, Bohol died after suffering severe asthma attack, resulting in the lock down of the police station as precautionary measure against the possibility of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infection.
Post-mortem swab samples have been taken from the police official to check if he had contracted COVID-19.
The police official, whose name was withheld to protect the privacy of the family, suffered severe asthma in his home last Saturday. He was rushed to the Francisco Dagohoy District Hospital in Inabanga town where he was declared dead.
As a precautionary measure, the Carmen police station was locked down, while at least 20 personnel will be isolated.
“The personnel of the Carmen police station will be tested as well as the family of the chief of police,” said Police Brig. Gen. Albert Ignatius Ferro, chief of the Police Regional Office Central Visayas (PRO 7).
If it will be confirmed that the police official was COVID-19 positive, he will be the fifth policeman under PRO 7 to have died due to the viral disease, said Ferro.
Ferro said a total of 250 PRO 7 personnel tested positive for the virus.
Among the infected personnel were from PRO 7’s support unit such as the Highway Patrol Group, Aviation Security Group and Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.
“We have 75 personnel who have recovered from the virus. Our recovery rate is very good and the reintegration is continuing,” said Ferro.
Three police stations in Cebu City that were previously locked down have resumed normal operations, said Ferro.
Yesterday, 18 policemen were released from a recovery center after a second swab test result showed that they were no longer COVID-19 positive.
“We are still awaiting the test results of 26 personnel so in the coming days we will have more recoveries,” said Ferro.