The fire chief of Maribojoc town who was set to retire this year has died of COVID-19, making her the 23rd person to succumb to complications caused by the respiratory disease in Bohol.
According to Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) provincial director Chief Inspector Raul Bustaliño, the municipal fire marshal, 55, died at a private hospital in Tagbilaran City at 7:30 p.m. on Friday last week.
She was rushed to a hospital earlier on the same day after experiencing difficulty in breathing.
Dr. Yul Lopez, spokesperson of the Bohol Inter-Agency Task Force, said the COVID-stricken fire official had multiple comorbidities.
She was suffering from diabetes and hypertension, Lopez said.
The remains of the fire chief were buried on Saturday as protocols mandate the immediate burial of COVID-19 fatalities.
Meanwhile, the fire chief’s husband who also contracted the disease was confined at a hospital after experiencing severe symptoms.
“Ang bana positive pud. Ga-struggle pa pud toa sa hospital,” said Bustaliño.
The Maribojoc Fire Station was earlier placed on locked down after their fire chief was confirmed to have been infected.
It was reopened Monday after all 10 employees of the fire station tested negative for the disease.
The fire chief was the second COVID-19 fatality in Maribojoc after a three-year-old newborn also died due to the disease last month. (R. Tutas, A. Doydora)