PMA cadets catch Covid- 19; restricted as tests on
>> Wednesday, January 13, 2021
BAGUIO CITY -- The Philippine Military Academy confirmed
Wednesday some of its cadets and military and civilian personnel tested positive
for Covid-19.
The infected personnel and cadets are asymptomatic and some have recovered, Maj. Cherryl Tindog, PMA public affairs office chief, said without mentioning how many were infected although other sources said those afflicted by the virus could have reached more than 50 persons.
“We assure the parents and families of the cadets that their health and needs are being attended to,” Tindog said.
For the first time since the pandemic started, the PMA subjected the cadets and personnel to swab tests in compliance with the guidelines of the city government of Baguio and the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.
Since the pandemic broke out in March, the PMA only conducted rapid tests for its cadets, military and civilian personnel.
“Although the cadets have been isolated from the outside world by cancelling contact activities and employing online mode of instructions, still there is no fool-proof system to avoid the virus,” Tindog said.
She said the cases were reported and coordinated with city health officials and the patients were receiving treatment.
Contract tracing is ongoing, she said.
The PMA on Monday confirmed the clustering of Covid-19 cases among assigned soldiers and cadets in the country's premier military institution.
Tindog announced this in an official statement released to the media on Monday afternoon.
“It is with deep concern that the Academy confirms the positive Covid-19 cases among the cadets and its military and civilian personnel,” she said.
The cases were known following the conduct of mass testing which was initiated to assure the safety of the cadets.
“After the Command's initiative for mass RT-PCR (reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction) testing with the help of the Philippine Coast Guard, a number of cadets, civilian human resource (manongs) and organic military personnel were identified to have contracted the virus. These cases were properly reported and coordinated with the health officials of the City of Baguio,” Tindog said.
The academy ordered a lockdown of its facilities, prohibiting the public from entering the premises and containing cadet activities in a bubble. All major activities like the annual alumni homecoming, the graduation of cadets, reception of plebes, as well as recognition ceremonies were confined to “online events” to prevent contact with the public.
Tindog also said that since March 2020, the academy has been doing rapid test on cadets and personnel but opted to do a PCR test just to assure, considering that it had been months since the pandemic started.
She said the academy administration is implementing a strict policy, preventing the cadets’ contact to avoid the possibility of getting the infection, but were not spared.
“Though the Cadet Corps of the AFP has been isolated as one bubble from the outside world by canceling contact activities and employing online mode of instructions, still there is no foolproof system,” she said.
One way or another, a leak to the bubble can occur from day-to-day activities of the whole community, thus the need for mass testing, she added.
Tindog assured the public as well as the parents of the cadets that the academy is taking care of those infected.
For several days during the holiday season, the city government has been releasing a daily record of cases with confirmed patients’ addresses being “Fort Del Pilar”, the location of PMA but no details have been obtained.
On Monday morning, Mayor Benjamin Magalong urged the media to get authorized statements from the PMA.
Tindog said the patients are being treated, the contacts were traced and isolated, and the further spread is contained, in coordination with concerned government agencies.
She said the patients are asymptomatic and “poses no greater danger to cadet's health”.
“There are a number of them who have also recovered,” Tindog added.
Aside from the tests, the Academy has conducted immediate isolation of positive cases, lockdown, contact tracing, quarantine of general contacts, and disinfection of affected areas, based on safety and health protocol for Covid-19 of PMA and the DOH.
“The mass testing is part of the PMA's effort to eradicate Covid-19 within the Cadet Corps and the whole of the Academy, and we shall continue to do so,” Tindog said. – With a report from Liza Agoot/ PNA
The infected personnel and cadets are asymptomatic and some have recovered, Maj. Cherryl Tindog, PMA public affairs office chief, said without mentioning how many were infected although other sources said those afflicted by the virus could have reached more than 50 persons.
“We assure the parents and families of the cadets that their health and needs are being attended to,” Tindog said.
For the first time since the pandemic started, the PMA subjected the cadets and personnel to swab tests in compliance with the guidelines of the city government of Baguio and the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.
Since the pandemic broke out in March, the PMA only conducted rapid tests for its cadets, military and civilian personnel.
“Although the cadets have been isolated from the outside world by cancelling contact activities and employing online mode of instructions, still there is no fool-proof system to avoid the virus,” Tindog said.
She said the cases were reported and coordinated with city health officials and the patients were receiving treatment.
Contract tracing is ongoing, she said.
The PMA on Monday confirmed the clustering of Covid-19 cases among assigned soldiers and cadets in the country's premier military institution.
Tindog announced this in an official statement released to the media on Monday afternoon.
“It is with deep concern that the Academy confirms the positive Covid-19 cases among the cadets and its military and civilian personnel,” she said.
The cases were known following the conduct of mass testing which was initiated to assure the safety of the cadets.
“After the Command's initiative for mass RT-PCR (reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction) testing with the help of the Philippine Coast Guard, a number of cadets, civilian human resource (manongs) and organic military personnel were identified to have contracted the virus. These cases were properly reported and coordinated with the health officials of the City of Baguio,” Tindog said.
The academy ordered a lockdown of its facilities, prohibiting the public from entering the premises and containing cadet activities in a bubble. All major activities like the annual alumni homecoming, the graduation of cadets, reception of plebes, as well as recognition ceremonies were confined to “online events” to prevent contact with the public.
Tindog also said that since March 2020, the academy has been doing rapid test on cadets and personnel but opted to do a PCR test just to assure, considering that it had been months since the pandemic started.
She said the academy administration is implementing a strict policy, preventing the cadets’ contact to avoid the possibility of getting the infection, but were not spared.
“Though the Cadet Corps of the AFP has been isolated as one bubble from the outside world by canceling contact activities and employing online mode of instructions, still there is no foolproof system,” she said.
One way or another, a leak to the bubble can occur from day-to-day activities of the whole community, thus the need for mass testing, she added.
Tindog assured the public as well as the parents of the cadets that the academy is taking care of those infected.
For several days during the holiday season, the city government has been releasing a daily record of cases with confirmed patients’ addresses being “Fort Del Pilar”, the location of PMA but no details have been obtained.
On Monday morning, Mayor Benjamin Magalong urged the media to get authorized statements from the PMA.
Tindog said the patients are being treated, the contacts were traced and isolated, and the further spread is contained, in coordination with concerned government agencies.
She said the patients are asymptomatic and “poses no greater danger to cadet's health”.
“There are a number of them who have also recovered,” Tindog added.
Aside from the tests, the Academy has conducted immediate isolation of positive cases, lockdown, contact tracing, quarantine of general contacts, and disinfection of affected areas, based on safety and health protocol for Covid-19 of PMA and the DOH.
“The mass testing is part of the PMA's effort to eradicate Covid-19 within the Cadet Corps and the whole of the Academy, and we shall continue to do so,” Tindog said. – With a report from Liza Agoot/ PNA
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