MANILA, Philippines — At least 49 Filipinos in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia have been infected by the novel coronavirus, Consul General Edgar Badajos said Tuesday.
Of the number, 42 are deemed active cases as five have recovered while two died of the respiratory disease, Badajos reported in a virtual Laging Handa public briefing.
He also said that they have launched a food bank drive to assist Filipinos affected by the work stoppage in Jeddah due to COVID-19.
“Itong food bank drive ni-launch natin nung March 17 kasama natin dito ang isang grupo ng mga Filipino, ang tinatawag na OFW council of leaders,” Badajos said.
Over 3,000 food packs have been distributed to Filipinos through the initiative, the diplomat said.
On Monday, Philippine Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Adnan Alonto said five of the 119 Filipinos infected with COVID-19 in the Middle Eastern country have died due to the disease.
Saudi Arabia is home to the largest Filipino community in the Middle East with over 900,000 documented workers based on a 2015 data from the Department of Foreign Affairs.
To date, Saudi Arabia has a total of 18,811 confirmed COVID-19 cases according to the Johns Hopkins University and Medicine Coronavirus Resource Center, including 144 deaths and 2,531 recoveries.