MANILA, Philippines — The number of Filipinos abroad who contracted COVID-19 has crossed the 18,000-mark after the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reported 889 additional infections on Tuesday.
“The reported spike is due to [an] increase in confirmed cases and recoveries in the Middle East and the highest recorded this year,” the DFA said.
The number of overseas Filipinos with COVID-19 now stands at 18,001, according to DFA figures.
The number of recovered patients stands at 11,038, including 913 new recoveries.
Furthermore, there were also 30 new deaths, pushing the death toll up to 1,113.
“The DFA, together with its Foreign Service Posts, continues to partner with host governments to ensure the safety and well-being of our nationals abroad amidst the pandemic,” the DFA said.
As many as 8,571 new infections were reported on Tuesday, bringing the number of active illnesses to 165,534.
The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country is 884,783.
Nearly 131.5 million people have been infected with the latest coronavirus worldwide. Globally, the disease has claimed over 2.8 million lives.