DFA: No Filipinos in Korea, Italy, Iran infected with COVID-19

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Monday reported that there is no coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infection among Filipinos in Iran, Italy, and South Korea.

COVID-19 infection continued to surge in the three international hot spots, led by a large spike in South Korea and Italy.

“As of current information, wala pang Filipino identified as patient under investigation or COVID-19 positive in South Korea, Italy, and Iran,” DFA Assistant Secretary Ed Meñez said in a press briefing in Malacañang.

The DFA official reported there are 6,139 Filipinos currently in Korea, 161,885 in Italy, and 1,181 in Iran.

China, the origin of the outbreak, accounts for the vast majority of the 88,000 global infections of the virus and the 3,000 killed by it.

As of posting time, more than 3,736 people were infected in South Korea, the largest number of infections outside China.

COVID-19 cases in Italy had also risen to 1,694, a 50 percent jump from just 24 hours earlier. The death toll in the European country is now at 34, while 83 people have fully recovered.

In Iran, at least 978 people have now been infected which include Iranian vice president Masoumeh Ebtekar.

EDV