BACOLOD City – All personnel of the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOCPPO) diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have fully recovered.
These NOCCPO personnel who already returned to duty 13 police officers and one non-uniformed personnel assigned in various police stations in the province.
Lieutenant Wilma Silva, deputy public information officer of NOCPPO, said they no longer have active cases and have not recorded new cases among their personnel.
“Yes, we are COVID-19 free,” Silva said in a virtual press briefing.
Most of the police personnel infected with the virus were those who have been assigned in various quarantine facilities.
Among those who have fully recovered, four were able to donate convalescent plasma to the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH) Blood Bank.
The blood donation was part of the “Plasma Mo, Armas Ko Batuk Sa Covid-19” program initiated by Col. Romy Palgue, police provincial director, which drew inspiration from Philippine National Police higher headquarters’ “Kapwa Ko, Sagot Ko” activity.
“I laud the donors and also thank the CLMRH Blood Bank for making this activity possible,” Palgue said in a statement.
The initial bloodletting was on Saturday at the Police Regional Office-Western Visayas Satellite Office inside the NOCPPO compound in Camp Alfredo M. Montelibano Sr. here.
Convalescent plasma transfusion is a possible therapy to prevent disease progression among hospitalized Covid-19 patients. Convalescent plasma is taken from the blood of patients who recovered from COVID-19.
The Department of Health said blood plasma donations should be done voluntarily and should go through the official process to ensure the safety of both recipients and voluntary donors. (With a report from PNA/PN)
