MANILA (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN): The number of Filipinos who tested positive for coronavirus disease (Covid-19) aboard the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan has climbed up to 59, a Department of Health (DOH) official announced on Monday (Feb 24). “To date, 59 out of the 538 overseas Filipinos from the cruise ship have been confirmed with Covid-19, ” DOH Assistant Secretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a press briefing in Malacañang. Malacañang earlier announced that the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) has approved the repatriation of 497 Filipinos aboard the quarantined cruise ship. They are set to return home by Tuesday, Feb 25, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said. Apart from the 59 Filipinos who tested positive for Covid-19, four other Filipinos overseas were also infected with the virus — one in Hong Kong, two in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and one in Singapore.

Source: The Star February 24, 2020 04:41 UTC