The Department of Foreign Affairs on Thursday said Filipinos abroad with coronavirus disease has climbed to 203 with three deaths, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Thursday.
These Filipinos are based in 26 countries or regions – 115 in Asia-Pacific, 43 in Europe, 23 in the Middle East, and 27 in the Americas.
The DFA said 93 are undergoing treatment, while 107 have recovered or have been discharged from the hospital.
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Two of those who died from the virus, which was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, were from Europe and one from Asia.
The DFA has declined to release the specific countries where the infected Filipinos are located as some states have prohibited identifying them to avoid discrimination.
Filipino patients, the DFA said, have also asked for strict confidentiality regarding their situations.
“Because information sharing is now global and what we release here will eventually be known in these other countries, we do not want to negatively affect our nationals abroad. It’s a dilemma we face because these restrictions are not present in many other countries,” said DFA Assistant Secretary Ed Meñez.
With reference to deaths, Meñez said the DFA is also very careful in releasing data because people also die of other causes.
“We do not want to ascribe the cause of death to COVID 19 unless it is absolutely verifiable,” he said.
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Amid the threat of the deadly virus and the closure of the Kuwait International Airport, the Philippine Embassy in Kuwait, 253 stranded Filipino workers were brought home to Manila, Thursday morning.
Most of them were runaway workers and faced deportation orders in Kuwait.
The DFA said all 253 Filipinos underwent the appropriate medical protocols and check-up at the airport as required by the DOH Bureau of Quarantine. The repatriates were reminded further to observe strict home quarantine for 14 days.
