Kiko Pangilinan in isolation after testing positive for COVID-19

Senator and vice presidential aspirant Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan is in isolation after testing positive for COVID-19, and is now awaiting results of a retest amid the surge in testing as cases continue to hit record highs.

Pangilinan said he received the results of his twice-weekly routine RT-PCR test on Saturday evening, which he said came as a surprise.

“Surprised because I have zero symptoms. No cold or cough, No itchy throat. I was even able to run on the treadmill and do yoga stretching exercises last night before I learned of the test results,” he said in a post on his Instagram account.

The senator said that none of his family members has been exhibiting symptoms, and have all tested negative via antigen tests on Sunday morning. The results of the confirmatory RT-PCR tests are due on Monday.

Pangilinan also noted that his sister—a doctor—told him that laboratories across the country are swamped with tests, and a possibility of contamination and a false positive is "not remote."

“In the meantime Sharon, myself, and our kids with us at home have all isolated in different rooms,” he said.

“I am more than ok. Just concerned about the health and safety of my family and the staff at home as well as our kababayans and their families everywhere going through a similar, stressful ordeal,” he added.

The Philippines on Sunday logged a record daily tally of 28,707 COVID-19 cases, bringing the country’s active cases to 128,114. The total caseload now stands at 2.965 million, including 2.785 million recoveries and 52,150 deaths. — Jon Viktor D. Cabuenas/BM, GMA News