A police sergeant assigned at the Manila Police District died of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) a few days after he received the first dose of Sinovac vaccine.
The case of the police sergeant, which was reported to be the 41st COVID-related death in the Philippine National Police (PNP) bolstered the advice of health experts that those who received the vaccine can still be infected by the coronavirus.
In a police report obtained by the Manila Bulletin, the 48-year old police sergeant assigned at the MPD-District Traffic Enforcement Unit died on April 8 in a hospital in Bulacan where his family rushed him on Wednesday night, April 7, after he complained of difficulty in breathing.
He received the first dose of the vaccine on March 31 at the Local Government of Manila City after he was included in the priority list being assigned at the MPD with comorbidity.
Initially, the police sergeant did not experience any side effect but a few days later, he complained of difficulty in breathing, with high fever and cough. When he arrived at the hospital, his oxygen saturation in the body was already at 30 percent.
He died in the hospital despite attempts of medical staff to provide him with all the medication.
The police sergeant was also subjected to a swab test and it was then that it was confirmed that he was positive for the coronavirus.
As of April 9, a total of 4,598 PNP personnel already received the first dose of both the Sinovac and AstraZeneca. Of the figure, a total of 1,456 of them already received the second dose.
Meanwhile, a 64-year old civilian employee of the PNP also died of complications due to COVID-19. He died on April 9, or a day after the death of the Manila police sergeant.
The civilian employee, assigned to the PNP-Directorate for Intelligence, was the 42nd COVID-fatality in the PNP.