77 OFWs in HK with COVID-19 now on isolation — PH envoy

Philippine Consul General in Hong Kong Raly Tejada answers questions from reporters on Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022 during an online briefing. Screengrab

MANILA, Philippines — A total of 77 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Hong Kong have contracted COVID-19 since the start of the fifth wave of infections there in early February, according to Philippine Consul General Raly Tejada, who said all reported cases are now in isolation facilities.

In an online press briefing held by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Thursday, Tejada said that since the fifth wave of cases in Hong Kong, the Philippine Consulate received 108 COVID-related reports, which involved 77 OFWs who reported they tested positive for the coronavirus.

“The 77 COVID positive kababayans have requested assistance, for hospital admission or isolation rooms after they tested positive while on their way to the airport, while in boarding houses, or with their employers,” Tejada said.

He also mentioned that through a collaboration with a non-government organization (NGO) in Hong Kong and Hong Kong Labor Department, all infected OFWs are now staying safely in an isolation facility.

“It must be noted that the severity and magnitude of the fifth wave took everyone by surprise and affected not just Filipinos but all citizens,” he noted.

But according to Tejada, the “seemingly panic mode” due to the surge in cases there has “subsided.

“The seemingly panic mode which gripped the Hong Kong health care system last week has since subsided,” he said.

“The Hong Kong government has taken special measures in order to effectively respond to the current challenge such as providing an extra 20,000 capacity isolation facility among others,” he added.   Jericho Zafra, INQUIRER.net trainee

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