KORONADAL CITY (MindaNews / 8 April) – At least 41 police personnel with medical backgrounds from Region 12 have been put on standby to augment health workers should the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic becomes prevalent in the area, a top official said Wednesday.
Brig. Gen. Alfred Corpus, Police Regional Office-12 director, said they organized a Medical Reserved Force (MRF) from among their ranks and were given a crash course on COVID-19.
The members of the reserve force are graduates of medical-related courses who are assigned at the different provinces under PRO-12, the official said in a statement.
“In case this pandemic comes to worst (in our region), PRO-12 is ready to deploy its personnel (with medical backgrounds),” said Corpus, noting that police officers are trained not just to protect but also to save lives.
During a whole day seminar on Tuesday, April 7, the MRF members were armed with the protocols and precautionary measures against coronavirus, stress management during community and home quarantine, and the proper use of personal protective equipment, among others.
Region 12 or Soccsksargen region straddles the provinces of South Cotabato, North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani.
As of 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 7, the region has 13 confirmed COVID-19 cases, data from the Department of Health-12 showed.
Three were new cases – PH3669, a 59-year-old male from General Santos City with travel history to Davao City, who is on stable condition and admitted in a hospital; PH3670, a 49-year-old female from Cotabato City with travel history to Davao City, who is also on stable condition and still admitted; and PH3671, a 29-year-old male from North Cotabato who traveled to Abu Dhabi, Singapore and Davao City and now on stable condition under home quarantine.
Of the 209 persons under investigation (PUIs) in Region 12 as of 5 p.m. Tuesday, 23 remained admitted, 53 were discharged, 85 were under home quarantine, 38 have completed their home quarantine, and 10 have died, DOH-12 data showed.
Of the 13 confirmed COVID-19 cases, only one died so far, PH600 from Sultan Kudarat, and the rest either admitted or under strict home quarantine, it added.
There were at least 145 persons under monitoring (PUMs) on home quarantine across the region as of Tuesday afternoon, DOH-12 said. (Bong S. Sarmiento / MindaNews)