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Filipinos Covid-19 positive in Japan climbs to 11: DFA
“As of 13 February 2020, the total number of Filipinos who have tested positive for COVID-19 is 11. All of them are now confined in various hospitals in and around the Tokyo area,” the DFA statement reads.
(File Photo By Patrick Roque, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)
MANILA — The number of Filipinos onboard a quarantined ship in Japan who tested positive for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) has climbed to 11, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reported Thursday.
“As of 13 February 2020, the total number of Filipinos who have tested positive for COVID-19 is 11. All of them are now confined in various hospitals in and around the Tokyo area,” the DFA statement reads.
Meanwhile, no Filipino national was included in the 44 latest cases confirmed on Thursday. The Embassy remains in constant communication with the affected Filipinos in the hospitals and noted that they are responding well to treatment.
The last information provided by the agency on Monday morning indicated there were only five Filipinos with Covid-19 cases in Japan.
Philippine Embassy in Tokyo Deputy Chief of Mission Robespierre Bolivar said the six additional cases were confirmed between February 10 and 11.
“Three were included in the batch of 65 announced on Monday, while three (were) included in the batch of 39 on Tuesday,” he told the Philippine News Agency.
The Embassy, in coordination with the Japanese government, is sending care packages containing toiletries and non-medical supplies to the infected Filipinos as well as those who remain on board the Diamond Princess.
An Embassy team also visited the hospitals on Thursday afternoon to speak with the doctors and social workers assigned to the Filipino patients in order to ensure their well-being.
Asked about the meeting, Bolivar declined to disclose details saying Japanese authorities are strict with its privacy laws.
