South Korea reports first Filipino COVID-19 patient
MANILA, Philippines — A Filipino based in South Korea was confirmed to have caught COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.
This is the first confirmed case of COVID-19 infection involving a Filipino in the East Asian nation.
The Philippine Embassy in South Korea said the patient traveled overseas before exhibiting symptoms. He was tested at a hospital in South Korea on Thursday and was confirmed to be positive for COVID-19 on Friday.
“The Embassy is in close coordination with the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local health authorities and stands ready to extend assistance to the COVID-19 positive Filipino national as needed,” it said.
South Korea was once the hardest-hit country outside China, where the virus first emerged late last year, but appears to have brought the situation under control, thanks to its massive testing and contact-tracing effort.
The country’s KCDC said 87 new cases were detected on Friday, taking the total to 8,652. The death toll stood at 94.
OFW in Kuwait
The Philippine Embassy in Kuwait on Thursday reported that a female domestic worker contracted COVID-19, making her the first confirmed Filipino case of the new coronavirus in the Gulf state.
She is currently in stable condition.
The virus has infected more than 250,000 people across the globe and killed more than 11,000.
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