Positibo sa coronavirus disease (COVID-19) si Lt. Gen. Jose Faustino Jr., Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

Lt. Gen. Jose Faustino Jr., Chief of Staff, Armed Forces of the Philippines (Courtesy of AFP Public Affairs Office)

Makikipagpulong umano si Faustino sa mga military reporters dakong alas-9 ng umaga ngunit kinailangan itong kanselahin matapos magpositibo ang resulta ang kanyang antigen test, ayon kay Col. Ramon Zagala, tagapagsalita ng AFP.

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“Those who are attending the meeting [took] antigen test and that also included the Chief of Staff. This morning, prior to the meeting, the Chief of Staff tested positive in the antigen test,” ani Zagala.

Sumailalim na ngayon sa self-isolation ang military chief sa kanyang quarters sa Camp Aguinaldo sa Quezon City habang hinihintay pa ang kanyang RT-PCR test, ang gold standard sa COVID-19 testing.

“He is okay. It’s just for safety reason that he is in isolation. That’s the protocol to [ensure] not only he is safe but all of those concerned [officials],” dagdag pa niya.

Patuloy naman isinasagawa ang contact tracing.

“All of those who were in close contact with the Chief of Staff, we advise them to also test and we’re also relying on our own medical professionals in the procedures to be taken,” ayon kay Zagala.

Sa huling datos nitong Agosto 21, may kabuuang bilang na 15,625 COVID-19 cases ang AFP, ayon sa military spokesperson.

Sa naturang bilang, mahigit 1,500 ang aktibong kaso; 13,000 ang gumaling sa sakit; at 31 naman ang namatay.

Martin Sadongdong