Nurse becomes first Filipino in Libya to get COVID – PH embassy

MANILA, Philippines — A 47-year-old emergency room nurse became the first Filipino in Libya to get infected with the new coronavirus, according to the Philippine Embassy in Tripoli.

According to Chargè d’Affaires Elmer Cato, the Filipina nurse was among the over 1,000 Filipino frontline health workers in Libya.

“A 47-year-old emergency room nurse is the first Filipino in Libya to get infected with [COVID-19],” Cato wrote over Twitter on Monday.

A 47-year-old emergency room nurse is the first Filipino in Libya to get infected with Covid-19. She is among around 1,000 Filipino medical frontliners serving alongside their Libyan counterparts in the fight against Covid-19. @DFAPHL @teddyboylocsin @dododulay pic.twitter.com/6si1ZaQj6O

— Elmer G Cato (@elmer_cato) June 15, 2020

“She is among around 1,000 Filipino medical frontliners serving alongside their Libyan counterparts in the fight against [COVID-19],” he added.

In a separate post on Facebook, the embassy said the Filipina nurse was among the 36 new COVID-19 cases reported in Libya.

In the past three months, Libya has confirmed 454 cumulative COVID-19 cases.

The embassy said it was informed that the Filipino medical frontliner was possibly infected while taking care of a patient she did not know had COVID-19.

“Our kababayan got infected while in the line of duty the same way the approximately 1,000 other Filipino nurses and hospital workers are putting themselves at risk serving the people of their adopted country—Libya,” the embassy said,

“We expect nothing less from Filipino health professionals who have been taking care of our Libyan brothers and sisters since they first stepped on Libyan soil more than three decades ago,” it added.

Meanwhile, the embassy acknowledged Filipino nurses, midwives, technicians, and other hospital workers who have “embraced Libyan society as if it was their own.”

“Most speak the language and have been there sharing the joys of childbirth with many Libyan families and their pain when loved ones under their care breathe their last,” the embassy said.

“Filipino hospital workers remained at their duty stations even at the height of the various conflicts in Libya to take care of the sick and wounded. Some of our nurses have even died here in Libya,” it added.

The embassy further renewed its call to concerned Libyan authorities to “kindly ensure the well-being of our health frontliners and to provide them with the proper Personal Protective Equipment that would allow them to effectively do their jobs serving the Libyan people.”

The embassy also urged the Libyan people to extend support and protection for Filipinohealthcare workers across the country.

“As they did before, Filipino nurses and other health workers will stay here in Libya and will join their Libyan counterparts in fighting [COVID-19],” it said.

“As we go fight this invisible enemy together, we are hoping that our Libyan brothers and sisters will continue to take good care of and protect this precious human resource that the Philippines has shared with them,” it added.