DFA adds 444 to list of Filipinos overseas with COVID-19

MANILA, Philippines — Filipinos abroad infected with the coronavirus grew by 444 on the first days of February, bringing the overall count to more than 14,400 by end of the week.

The DFA in daily bulletins from January 31 to February 6 reported the highest rise in additional cases on February 4, where 348 new Filipino patients were tallied.

Officials have attributed this to a surge of cases seen in Europe, as well as from late reports due to private concerns in the Middle East and Africa.

The hundreds of new infections came days after the DFA also reported 53 more on February 2, and 25 the day after that. 

This week also saw the first year since the reporting of the first Filipino abroad to have been infected with the coronavirus, a crew member at the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan in 2020.

And as a new week begins, the agency said 49 more Filipinos in 86 countries have contracted the COVID-19, raising its present tally to 14,469, as first reported by GMA News.

Deaths among those infected overseas remained at 954 with no new fatalities reported, while the count of recoveries have since climbed to 9,115. Some 4,400, meanwhile, remain in treatment.

To date, the Middle East continues to have the highest number Filipino cases at now 8,073, with deaths at 610 and recoveries at 4,754.

Asia Pacific follows with 2,846 infections, 21 deaths and 2,026 since recovered.

Europe is closing in with 2,709 Filipinos sick with COVID-19, 123 dead and 1,799 patients who got well, while the Americas now have 841 cases, its deaths remaining at 200 and recoveries at 536.

Across the globe, the coronavirus has infected over 105.79 million in 192 countries, with deaths now at 2.31 million.

The United States remains with the highest count in both, with 26.9 million cases and more than 462,000 deaths.

India (10.82 million), Brazil (9.44 million), the United Kingdom (3.94 million) and Russia (3.93 million) follow in the list, while the Philippines with its 537,310 put it at the 32nd spot globally.