COVID-19 infected Filipinos in Korea now at 3

MANILA, Philippines — Two more Filipinos in South Korea have tested positive for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), bringing the total infected Filipinos there to three.

In a statement Thursday, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the two new cases were family members of the first Filipino COVID-19 patient in Korea.

The first Filipino COVID-19 case in Seoul was reported on March 20.

The DFA said the two Filipino patients have been placed under quarantine.

The DFA assured the public that the Philippine Embassy in Seoul is in close coordination with Korean health authorities and stands ready to provide assistance to the COVID-19 positive Filipino nationals as needed.

The latest data from the Johns Hopkins University & Medicine Coronavirus Resource Center showed there are 9,976 COVID-19 cases in Korea as of posting, of whom, 5,828 have recovered while 169 died.

In the Philippines, the Department of Health reported on Thursday afternoon 322 new coronavirus cases, bringing the country’s total to 2,633. Meanwhile, 107 patients have died while 51 managed to recover.

The respiratory disease— first detected in Hubei, China late last year—has so far infected over 939,000 worldwide, nearly 47,000 of whom have died. Meanwhile, almost 195,000 patients were able to recover.