21 Pinoys die of COVID-19 in UAE

Twenty-one Filipinos in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have died of the coronavirus disease, bringing to 215 the total number of overseas Filipinos who have succumbed to COVID-19 so far.

According to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the acute respiratory disease has claimed 121 Filipino lives in the Americas and 73 in Europe.

In a television interview on Wednesday, Philippine Ambassador to the UAE Hjayceelyn Quintana said 17 Filipinos in Dubai and four others in Abu Dhabi have died of COVID-19, based on death notifications relayed by the UAE government.

There are some 650,000 Filipinos in the UAE, the second most favored destination for overseas Filipino workers in the Middle East, next to Saudi Arabia.

According to the DFA, 1,905 Filipinos have tested positive for the coronavirus in 46 countries, with 1,167 still undergoing treatment.

The latest report recorded 19 deaths in the Middle East, including that of Philippine Ambassador to Lebanon Bernardita Catalla who succumbed to COVID-19 on April 2.