142 more Filipinos living abroad contract COVID-19, says DFA

This undated electron microscope image made available by the U.S. National Institutes of Health in February 2020 shows the Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. (NIAID-RML via AP FILE)

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reported Friday the COVID-19 infection of 142 more Filipinos living overseas.

The new infections pushed the COVID-19 cases among Filipinos abroad to 20,422, of which 7,109 remain under treatment.

“The spike in the number of cases is due to an increase in reported cases in Asia and the Pacific,” said the DFA.

It also reported the recovery of a patient and that the total number of recovered Filipino COVID-19 patients abroad now stands at 12,093.

Further, the DFA said an infected Filipino has died and increased the tally of fatalities to 1,220.

In the Philippines, 6,833 new cases were reported on Friday, June 18, driving the nationwide COVID-19 case count to 1,346,276.

Of these cases, 61,776 remain active while 1,261,115 have recovered. A total of 22,507 COVID-19 patients across the Philippines have died of the disease, including the 110 deaths that health authorities reported Friday.