Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa said Saturday he has tested positive for COVID-19.
“I am sorry to inform [you] that I tested positive for covid19 yesterday. To all who made contact with me pls do the appropriate protocols,” he said in a statement.
Dela Rosa’s staff said the senator is OK but currently has a cough and cold. His eldest daughter also tested positive for coronavirus but is asymptomatic.
Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Director Isidro Lapeña also tested positive for the coronavirus, Senator Joel Villanueva announced Saturday.
In a message to reporters, Villanueva said Lapeña’s case was confirmed yesterday.
“Secretary Lapeña on the other hand tested negative when he went to Senate. He was with me almost the whole time, but we were both wearing face mask and face shield,” Villanueva said in a Viber message.
Meanwhile, the senator said the result of his own test for COVID-19 was negative.
This developed as the number of coronavirus cases in the Philippines rose to 416,852 on Saturday after the Department of Health (DOH) reported 1,791 new infections as three laboratories failed to submit their reports.
This is the 12th straight day where less than 2,000 cases have been reported.
The DOH also announced that 328 more patients have recovered from the illness, bringing the total to 375,548, while 55 new fatalities brought the death toll to 8,080.
Meanwhile, 33,224 remaining active cases are undergoing treatment or quarantine, of which 84.5 percent are mild, 8.7 percent are asymptomatic, 2.3 percent are severe, and 4.3 percent are in critical condition.
Data from the DOH also showed that 57 percent of the country’s intensive care unit beds for patients are available and 81 percent of the mechanical ventilators are ready for use.
More than 57.17 million people have been reported to be infected by the COVID-19 globally and 1,365,111 have died.