By Roy Mabasa
Six new fatalities were recorded Friday from the various foreign service posts (FSPs) worldwide, bringing the total number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) deaths among overseas Filipinos to 340.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) also reported the total number of COVID-19 infections among overseas Filipinos is now 2,845, after FSPs reported 24 new confirmed cases.
The DFA said the latest fatalities were monitored in Europe and the Middle East.
Based on its latest figures, the DFA noted that the daily rate of confirmed cases decreased, while the daily rate of recoveries increased with 11 new recoveries across the major geographic regions.
“The DFA personnel in our FSPs continue to actively monitor the status of the Filipino community abroad and work to safely repatriate more of our stranded nationals home,” it said.
Out of the 2,845 total COVID-19 cases among Filipinos abroad, 1,558 are currently undergoing treatment, 947 have recovered, and a total of 340 have died from the disease.
With the latest figures, the Middle East region now has the largest recorded number of COVID-19 cases among Filipinos with 909 cases, followed by Europe with 816, the Americas with 633, and the Asia and the Pacific with 487.
Earlier Friday, the Philippine Consulate in Dubai confirmed that the number of Filipino fatalities in that area has increased from 23 to 40 in just less than one month.
On May 8, 2020, Cortes reported that 23 Filipinos in Dubai died after being infected with the coronavirus.
As of May 29, 2020, the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the United Arab Emirates is 32,532, with 258 deaths and 16,685 recoveries.