MANILA, Philippines — There are at least 38 Filipinos who have contracted the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Australia, but most of them have recovered, Philippine Ambassador to Australia Ma. Hellen De La Vega said Monday.
Save for one case, whose status remained unknown, the rest of the Filipino COVID-19 cases there have recovered. Most of those affected are seafarers, De La Vega said.
“Ang amin pong recorded cases ng Filipino COVID-19 cases po ay 38. Pero ito po ay hindi onshore, ang ibig ko pong sabihin, hindi po ito dito mismo sa Australia, ito po ay mga seafarers natin. But the good news is that 37 have been cleared,” De La Vega said during the Laging Handa briefing.
(There are 38 recorded COVID-19 cases of Filipinos here. But these cases are not onshore, meaning, they are seafarers. The good news is that 37 have been cleared.)
According to De La Vega, Australia has so far confirmed 6,941 cases. Of the number, 6,164 patients have recovered while 97 persons have died.
De La Vega said the decrease in COVID-19 cases in Australia can be attributed to the early imposition of physical distancing measures and the country’s high health standards.
“Isa po ang Australia sa pinakaunang una na nagput up ng stringent measures, ito pong social and physical distancing measures,” De La Vega said.
(Australia was among the first to put up stringent measures, social and physical distancing measures.)
“Kahit wala pa pong COVID-19 dito, napakataas po ng health standards, quarantine and even biosecurity measures dito sa Australia,” she further said.
(Even before there was COVID-19, Australia has high health standards, quarantine, and even biosecurity measures.)
Globally, there are over 4.1 million confirmed cases with at least 280,000 deaths.
Last May 7, a cruise ship, where infections of COVID-19 were reported, arrived in the Philippines bringing more than 200 Filipino seafarers, a report from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said.
The MV Ruby Princess, which became the subject of an investigation in Australia because of reported COVID-19 infections in the vessel, docked on Manila Bay at around 8 a.m., according to the PCG.