MANILA, Philippines – The number of Filipinos hit by the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) abroad jumped to 203 from 172 cases – the largest overnight increase in cases involving Filipinos overseas since the outbreak began in early January. 

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Thursday, March 26, said in an advisory that it counted at least 31 new coronavirus cases involving Filipinos abroad, 21 of them in Europe.  

Other new cases were in the Asia Pacific region (3 new cases), Middle East (5 new cases), and Americas (2 new cases). 

Of the 203 Filipino coronavirus cases, 93 were undergoing treatment while 107 have recovered. The confirmed cases included 3 deaths, one each in France and India, and another in a European country that the DFA did not identify.

Cases were spread out across 26 countries.  

Below is a breakdown of cases per region: 

Asia Pacific
8 countries included

• Total: 115
• Undergoing treatment: 28
• Recovered or discharged from hospital: 86
• Deaths: 1
 
Europe
9 countries included

• Total: 43
• Undergoing treatment: 36
• Recovered or discharged from hospital: 5
• Deaths: 2
 
Middle East
7 countries included

• Total: 23
• Undergoing treatment: 21
• Recovered or discharged from hospital: 2
• Deaths: 0
 
Americas
2 countries included

• Total: 22
• Undergoing treatment: 14
• Recovered or discharged from hospital: 8
• Deaths: 0

Of the 203 cases, 138 have been confirmed by the Philippine Department of Health, which tracks cases based on International Health Regulations.

Since Tuesday, March 24, the DFA no longer released information on specific countries where Filipinos infected with the disease were found.

The agency said this was due to privacy laws of some countries which prohibited disclosing the nationalities of cases to prevent discrimination, and the request of some patients for “strict confidentiality.” 

The Philippines recorded at least 707 cases as of Thursday. The confirmed cases include 45 deaths and 28 recoveries. 

Worldwide, over 18,000 people died due to the disease while more than 404,000 people were infected across 196 countries. – with reports from Agence France-Presse/Rappler.com