Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 7) — Fifty-two high-profile inmates of a highly-secured facility at the New Bilibid Prison were moved to an isolation facility because of positive rapid antibody test results, the Bureau of Corrections said Saturday.
While the rapid test detects the presence of antibodies, an RT-PCR or swab test remains the gold standard in confirming a coronavirus infection. The inmates are waiting for swab test results from the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine.
The inmates are temporarily staying at Site Harry, the quarantine facility inside the penitentiary in Muntinlupa City, Bureau of Corrections spokesperson Gabriel Chaclag told CNN Philippines in a text message.
“All actions and interventions done are based on medical professionals’ recommendations as has been our regular practice,” he said.
Chaclag cited the fast recovery rate of inmates at Site Harry, including 200 who were discharged after testing negative for COVID-19.
In July, controversies surrounded the deaths of nine high-profile Bilibid inmates due to the virus, prompting the National Bureau of Investigation to launch a probe. These deaths were disclosed after the announcement on the death of Jaybee Sebastian, a convict who confessed to running the Bilibid drug trade and previously implicated former Justice Secretary and now Senator Leila de Lima. Sebastian was detained in Building 14 with drug convicts and other high-profile inmates.
Data released by the Justice department in July showed that 476 inmates died in BuCor facilities this year, including 21 from coronavirus-related complications.
Hundreds of other detainees contracted the disease in jails. Rights groups called these “ticking time bombs” for infection because of crowded conditions. Authorities have since simplified rules to decongest prisons and detention facilities, resulting in the release of thousands of inmates.
