At least 19 seminarians and staff of the Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City were found positive of COVID-19, said a report on Radio Veritas 846.
“Four houses, in all about 19 positive (cases), mostly seminarians and staff,” Father Emmanuel “Nono” Alfonso, SJ, executive director if Jesuit Communications, told the radio station.
Health authorities have placed the university, particularly the San Jose Seminary, Loyola House of Studies, Arrupe International House, and the Jesuit Health and Wellness Center, under “lockdown.”
“One priest is in hospital but the rest are asymptomatic,” said Father Alfonso.
Meanwhile, Father Manuel “Bong” Bongayan, SVD, asked for prayers for residents of the Divine Word Mission Seminary, also in Quezon City, who were infected by the disease.
The priest clarified that only the retirement house inside the seminary compound was affected.
“The seminary was not placed under lockdown, only the Villa Cristo Rey Retirement House …. We only placed ourselves in quarantine because everyone is already vaccinated,” said the priest.
Father Benigno Beltran, SVD, associate priest of the Diocesan Shrine of Jesus the Divine Word, said the news are “exaggerated.”
“Only the retirement home has COVID-19 positive residents. The rest is okay,” he said.
The Department of Health (DOH) on Saturday reported 16,907 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the country’s caseload to 2,470,235.
Of the total number of cases, 6.7 percent or 165,110 are tagged as “active,” with most having mild or no symptoms at 94.6 percent.
There were also 27,121 new recoveries reported, bringing the total number of recoveries to 2,267,720 or 91.8 percent of the cases.
