By Roy Mabasa
A day after reporting a huge spike in the number of confirmed COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) cases among Filipinos abroad, the Department of Foreign Affairs has recorded in its latest tally 23 new live cases, two new recoveries, and two new deaths.
All these new cases came from Europe and the Middle East, according to the foreign affairs office.
This now brings the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases among overseas Filipinos to 8,324.
Of the total, 5,057 have recovered, 2,759 are undergoing treatment, and 508 have succumbed to the disease.
In assessing the progress of their daily tally, the DFA said:
“Regional comparative data shows that the total number of recorded COVID-19 cases in the Middle East comprise 73% of the total confirmed cases across the main geographic regions.”
“Moreover, a large percentage of the recorded recoveries and deaths in Filipinos abroad were reported from the same region,” it added.
On Monday, the DFA's tally of confirmed cases involving Filipinos abroad has breached the 8.400 mark following the delayed transmission of hundreds of accumulated cases that were gathered from Europe and Middle East countries with strict privacy and confidentiality laws.