The Department of Justice (DOJ) has 22 active cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infections as of last April 19, Undersecretary Emmelene Aglipay Villar said.
They are among the 67 employees who have been infected with the virus since Jan. 1, 2021, Villar said.
DOJ records showed that of the 67 employees, 43 of them have recovered, while two passed due to the infections.
Last year at the onset of the pandemic and until Dec. 31, 2020, a total of 18 personnel tested positive for COVID-19.
Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra had announced that DOJ prosecutors have been included in the government’s priority list of persons who should get vaccinated against COVID-19.
“I know for a fact that judges, prosecutors, public attorneys, and similar individuals directly involved in the dispensation of justice have been included by the IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases) in priority A4 of the national vaccination program,” Guevarra said.
About 30,000 officials and employees of the judiciary have also been included in the priority list.