A coach from the Team Philippines has been sent home following back-and-forth false positive and negative tests for COVID-19.
Philippine Olympic Committee president Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino confirmed the decision during a mini-conference at the CONRAD Tokyo on Thursday.
Tolentino said that daily tests were being conducted at the Athletes Village for coaches and players. The coach first yielded a false-positive result.
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The coach has a confirmatory test and later on tested negative for the virus.
A third test the following day, however, yielded another false positive on the said coach, who is now running a fever.
“While waiting for another confirmatory test, I have ordered our chef de mission Mariano Araneta to separate him from our team. If the next result is negative, we are sending him home. If he again tests positive, he will be brought to a quarantine hospital,” Tolentino said.
The coach needed two negative RT-PCR test results before he was allowed at the airport. Armed with two negative RT-PCR tests, the coach passed the rigid screening at the Narita airport.
“The coach must have gotten it on the plane or at the airport, during the incubation period kaya hindi lumabas sa tests noong una,” Tolentino added.
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“To further mitigate the risks to the Philippine team, we have decided to separate the coach from the delegation,” said POC Secretary-General Edwin Gastanes.
“Maybe, to the national sports association involved, apektado sila kasi nawalan sila ng coach, but to the rest of the Team Philippines, I don’t see their morale going down because of this. Everyone is in high spirits and raring to go to battle for the country,” Tolentino added.
It was not immediately known if the persons the coach have been in close contact with, will be isolated, too, although they have yielded negative results for COVID-19 infection. (TDT)
