The Philippine ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced on Wednesday that 17 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Dubai succumbed to Covid-19.
Ambassador Hjayceelyn Quintana clarified that she could only confirm the number of OFW deaths in UAE, but not the total number of OFW infections, as only death notifications were being reported.
She said four other OFWs in Abu Dhabi died of Covid-19.
“Dapat po ay huwag maging complacent ‘no. At lagi naming nire-remind, patuloy na i-observe ang mga protocols na ibinigay para sa pag-iingat,” the ambassador said during the government’s “Laging Handa” briefing.
UAE is the second largest OFW hotspot in the Middle East, with 700,000 Filipinos.
“UAE is known to be a model of humanitarian giving,” ambassador said, adding that the Philippines received seven metric tons of medical supplies such as test kits, face shields, PPEs and shoe covers for frontliners.
As of May 6, there were 15,192 confirmed Covid-19 cases in UAE, with 146 deaths and 3,153 recoveries. John Ezekiel J. Hirro