LIST: Countries Where Filipinos Got Sick With COVID-19

With the huge number of overseas Filipino workers, there is a need to pay attention to cases of the coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19 abroad. In fact, the number of Filipinos who fell ill abroad was thrice the total number of local cases as of March 10 or 103. The government said it is ready to repatriate Filipinos who want to go back home wherever they are in the world amid the global epidemic.

Here is the list of the places where Filipinos got sick with COVID-19.

80 on board the Diamond Princess off Japan

 A total of 80 Filipinos were confirmed to be infected with the virus while aboard the British-flagged cruise ship Diamond Princess that was quarantined at the Yokohama port in Japan in February. Diamond Princess alone accounted for four out of five cases of Filipinos being infected abroad.

Yesterday, March 11, the Department of Health (DOH) and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) released 442 of the 445 repatriates from Japan who were quarantined in New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac. The 442 were composed of 437 crew members and five passengers aboard the Diamond Princess. All repatriates, together with the teams that attended to them, were all tested for COVID-19 to ensure their safety.

Six on board the Grand Princess off the United States

Six Filipinos on board the cruise ship Grand Princess – which authorities refused to allow to dock in California – tested positive for COVID-19.

This was disclosed by Joel Buenaventura, chief health program officer of the Department of Health’s Migrant Health Unit, during a March 10 hearing by the House of Representatives overseas workers affairs committee. Buenaventura cited a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States.

Five in Hong Kong

There are five confirmed cases in the Chinese special administrative region of Hong Kong as of March 10, according to Department of Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Brigido Dulay.

The first case involved a 32-year old Filipina domestic helper who showed no symptoms and was confirmed by the Philippine Consulate-General in Hong Kong. Her employer was the 52nd confirmed case in the special administrative region; she was the 61st.

The second case, a 29-year old Filipina and reported on Feb. 27, briefly had fever. The third (reported March 4), the fourth (reported March 8) and the fifth cases (reported March 10) were asymptomatic.

Related story: 168 Pinoys repatriated from Macau amid COVID-19

Three in Singapore

Three Filipinos in Singapore were confirmed so far to have been infected with the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causing COVID-19, with the first being reported on Feb. 23.

A day after the first was discharged, Singapore on Feb. 29 confirmed that a 41-year old Filipina domestic worker fell ill; her male Singaporean employer had tested positive too. A 34-year old Filipina working for the same boss was reported sick on March 3.

Two in Lebanon

Two Filipinos in Lebanon were reportedly afflicted with the disease and were quarantined in a hospital in the capital of Beirut, DFA Assistant Secretary Eduardo Meñez disclosed on March 9.

The Philippines temporarily suspended the deployment of workers to the small, multireligious country, but it cited the deteriorating political and economic situation, not COVID-19.

Two in the United Arab Emirates

Two cases of Filipinos getting infected by the virus were confirmed in the United Arab Emirates on Feb. 8 and Feb. 21.

As of March 9, Meñez said both patients, aged 43 and 34, were in stable condition and would be discharged upon recovery.

One in Switzerland, according to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

Four in Qatar, also based on DOLE’s information.

 Where did the Filipinos with recent travel history go?

Of the 33 cases reported by the DOH to have been confirmed in Philippine territory as of March 10, all but five were Filipino (the first three reported cases were all Chinese tourists; the seventh case is a Taiwanese while the ninth is an American).

Yesterday, the DOH said there were 16 new cases or a total of 49.

Of the 30 Filipino cases diagnosed locally, 11 had recently traveled abroad. The fourth case – the first Filipino diagnosed locally – was a 48-year old male employee of Deloitte Philippines who had just visited Japan.

The eighth case, a 32-year old male, also went to Japan. So did the 20th case, a 48-year-old male.

The 13th case, a 34-year old Filipino, went to Australia.

The 15th case, a 24-year old male and the youngest in the Philippines so far, came from the United Arab Emirates.

The 16th and 17th cases, a 70-year old man and his 69-year old wife, went to Indonesia.

The 18th case, a 41-year old male, had gone to Taiwan; his 46-year old wife, who did not travel abroad, became the 19th case.

The 24th case, a 52-year old male, went to Switzerland.

The 25th and 26th cases were both brought home from the Diamond Princess. While isolated in New Clark City in Tarlac, the repatriates developed symptoms of the disease. They were immediately referred to the Jose B. Lingad Memorial Regional Hospital  in San Fernando, Pampanga. Disinfection procedures for the rooms used by the two patients have been implemented as well. Those who came in close contact with the  confirmed cases will undergo additional 14-day home quarantine and will be continuously monitored by their respective municipal/city health offices. – With Mayen Jaymalin