ACTIVE COVID-19 cases in the Philippine National Police recorded a downward trend as noted by the Department of Health, PNP chief General Dionardo B. Carlos announced yesterday.

Citing reports from the PNP Health Service, the top cop said that as of Tuesday, there were only 97 ‘active cases’ remaining in the 222,000-strong force after 18 more patients recovered from the infection.

However, 11 new cases were reported, three of them in Metro Manila and the rest in other regions.

Gen. Carlos said among the 97 ‘active cases,’ 23 are in the National Capital Region and 74 in other regions. Three of the patients are confined in non-PNP hospitals while 94 are in isolation facilities.

PNP-HS director Brigadier Gen. Antonino R. Cirujales said the PNP “active cases” peaked at 3,217 last September 17. Since March last year, a total of 125 PNP personnel have died due to COVID-19 and underlying medical complications.

Gen. Carlos added that 41,951 police personnel who contracted the virus have already recovered so far among the 42,173 total confirmed cases in the PNP even as he noted a 99 percent vaccination rate in the PNP.

He said a total of 395,634 doses have been administered to 223,653 PNP personnel.

At present, some 209,642 police personnel or 92.87 percent of the force are now fully-vaccinated while 14,001 or 6.21 percent have received the initial dose.

Cirujales reported to Gen. Carlos that as of press time, a total of 0.93 percent of the force or 2,106 are not yet vaccinated with 859 of them considered having valid reasons not to get the shot while 1,247 are reported to be without any valid reasons at all.

Since the government started its vaccination program this year, a total of 395,396 vaccine doses have been administered to members of the force.

On Monday morning, the PNP-HS started giving booster shots to its medical front-liners. The PNP will inoculate 1,390 personnel who have gotten their full doses over the past eight months.

Gen. Carlos said they are prioritizing their healthcare workers to be followed by policemen manning the different Quarantine Control Points in Metro Manila and the rest of the country.

PNP dependents are also being given the vaccine by the PNP-HS.

Brig. Gen. Cirujales said members of the PNP Medical Reserve Force are already ready for the national vaccination day.

There are a total of 5,530 police personnel composing the PNP-MRF with 331 of them assigned as vaccinators.

The official also said that the most frequent cases of ‘recurring COVID-19’ in the organization are those who were given the Sinovac vaccine early this year. However, the official said that those who were stricken anew by the virus after getting the full shots were described as ‘already easy to cure.’

PNP Deputy Chief for Administration and concurrent Administrative Support for Joint COVID-19 Task Force commander, Lieutenant Gen. Joselito M. Vera Cruz said they have started giving the booster shot to 1,300 of their medical workers at Camp Crame in preparation for their deployment in the 3-day national vaccination program from November 29 to December 1.

The official said they received 111 vials, each with six doses of Pfizer vaccines from the Department of Health last Friday. “We will give the booster shots to Camp Crame-based medical front-liners lang muna na naka-eight months na simula nung 2nd dose nila,” he said.

The DOH earlier said fully vaccinated health care workers can choose from among Pfizer, Moderna and Sinovac as additional shots.