Undersecretary Ricardo Jalad, administrator of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), has finally been released from his isolation room after recovering from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), he disclosed Wednesday, Sept. 8.
Jalad underwent home quarantine after he announced last Aug. 27 that he was infected with the viral disease.
"Ako ay released na sa home isolation (I am already released from home isolation)," he said in a "Laging Handa" press briefing.
After finishing his quarantine, Jalad took a rapid antibody test and an RT-PCR (reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) test to determine his status. He said his rapid test yielded IgG positive result while he had negative result in his RT-PCR test.
"Meaning nakalipas na ang aking infection ng COVID-19 virus so fully recovered na ako. Ako naman ay asymptomatic all throughout ng aking isolation for two weeks (It means I got infected by the COVID-19 virus in the past so I am now fully recovered. I was asymptomatic all throughout my isolation for two weeks)," he noted.
Jalad was among the 116 personnel of the OCD and National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) who got infected with COVID-19 last month which forced the temporary shutdown of the OCD National Operations Center in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.
The outbreak began when two OCD personnel who were part of a skeletal force tested positive in a rapid antigen test.
Meanwhile, Jalad assured the public that the remaining infected personnel were recuperating well since most of them were fully vaccinated. He said around 90 percent of their total force have already been vaccinated against COVID-19.