COVID-19-positive cops miserable at congested at Camp Crame facility

The facility inside Camp Crame for COVID-19-positive police officers has been operating beyond capacity causing congestion and misery among the sick cops.

According to Emil Sumangil's exclusive report on "24 Oras", a policeman said patients' folding beds and hammocks at the Kiangan Billeting Center have reached the pool area.

"Wala na talaga. Hindi na namin alam ano kahihinatnan namin dito," the policeman said.

[It's hopeless. We no longer know what would become of us.]

"'Wala tayo nung ini-imagine natin na facility na magkakaroon ng division kada isang tao," he added.

[We don't have facilities in which there's a separate area for each patient.]

The COVID-19 facility inside the camp has 55 beds. All these are already occupied and more sick cops stay at the center with folding beds and hammocks.

"Walang disenteng pagtrato sa police personnel," a parent of one of the patients told GMA News.

[Police personnel at the facility aren't being treated right.]

Police Brigadier General Luisito Magnaye said the Camp Crame facility was only for mild and moderate cases.

"Hindi tayo nag ha-handle dito ng mga moderate to severe. 'Pag dumating sa punto na iyon, ito na yung itinatakbo natin sa hospital," Magnaye said.

[We don't handle moderate to severe cases. When they reach that point, we bring to the hospital.]

"Mayroon tayong triage area na kung saan pina-process natin 'yung ibang pasyente pa na mayroon tayong 61 na pasyente," he added.

[We have a triage area where we process the patients and we still have 61 patients.]

Magnaye pointed to the new COVID-19 variants for the surge in cases among police officers.

"Bigla kasing dumagsa 'yung pasyente natin noong nakaraang araw. Ito 'yung panahon na hindi natin akalain kasi mayroon na tayong tinatawag na mga new variants na masyadong mabilisan ang paghawa ng ating mga kasama," Magnaye said.

[There was a sudden increase in the number of patients over the past days. This was time when we didn't expect the increase because we have new variants which are more contagious.] -NB, GMA News