Some 27 new recruits of the Philippine Army (PA) from various localities have tested positive for COVID-19 while undergoing training in Bohol, a health official said on Thursday.

According to Bohol Inter-Agency Task Force spokesperson Dr. Yul Lopez, the newly recruited soldiers have been training at Camp Lino Chatto in Macaas, Tubigon when swab samples were taken from them as part of routine COVID-19 testing for APORs (authorized person outside of residence).

“Standard mani sa ilang kampo na himuan og PCR testing…matawag ni sila na APOR kay official ang ilang pagnganhi sa Bohol,” said Lopez.

Lopez said nine of the trainees initially tested positive for the highly contagious disease prompting authorities to conduct contact tracing.

The tracing efforts led to the testing of 45 close contacts of the COVID-infected individuals.

Of the 45 who were all stationed at the camp, nine of them tested positive.

All 27 trainees were already isolated and most of them were asymptomatic while the others have minor symptoms.

According to Lopez, there were 74 active cases in Bohol as of Thursday afternoon, up by 12 from 62 on Wednesday. (A. Doydora)