2 more OFWs killed by MERS-CoV
MANILA, Philippines — Two more Filipino workers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia have died from the Middle East Respiratory Coronavirus (MERS-CoV), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Thursday.
According to DFA Spokesman Charles Jose, the first of the new fatalities was reported on May 12 and the other May 18.
This brings the total number of Filipinos who have died from MERS-CoV to five.
Jose did not reveal the gender or the work of the latest victims.
"Our consulate is rendering assistance to their next of kin and their families have already been notified," Jose was quoted as saying in a report by state-run Philippine News Agency (PNA).
Jose added that Philippine authorities are now processing the victims' benefits from their employers and the immediate repatriation of their remains.
The PNA report said the first three Filipinos who died from MERS all work in hospitals where they are vulnerable to acquiring the virus.
While the Philippine government has not issued a travel ban to Saudi Arabia, it has called on Filipinos traveling to and living in the Saudi Arabia to exercise extreme caution and follow the authorities' health advisories. - Louis Bacani
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