MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said no Filipinos in Italy have so far been reported infected with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) as the number of confirmed cases in the European country doubled over the weekend.
“Based on reports from our posts in Rome and Milan as of today – no Filipinos have been reported as affected by COVID – PUM (person under monitoring), PUI (person under investigation) or COVID positive,” DFA Assistant Secretary Eduardo Meñez told reporters in a Viber message on Tuesday.
There are currently 161,885 Filipinos in Italy, Meñez noted.
Citing information from authorities, Associated Press reported on Monday that the number of infected people in Italy rose to 1,694, a 50-percent jump from just 24 hours earlier.
Five more people infected with the virus have died, which brought the number of deaths in Italy to 34.
Meanwhile, 83 people have fully recovered.