MANILA, Philippines – All but one of the 38 Filipinos in Australia who tested positive for the coronavirus have since recovered from the disease, Philippine Ambassador to Australia Ma Hellen De la Vega said on Monday, May 11. 

“We have recorded 38 cases of Filipinos with COVID-19 but these are not onshore cases, meaning they are not here in Australia but are our seafarers. The good news is that 37 have been cleared,” De la Vega said in Filipino during a Laging Handa briefing on Monday. 

De la Vega said that of those cleared, about 8 were awaiting health clearances and flights. 

De la Vega said the Australian government was implementing a “phased” approach when easing restrictions put in place to quell the spread of the virus, where international travel as well as public and social gatherings remain limited. 

De la Vega also noted Australians’ wide use of the COVIDSafe app, which has been praised by experts as a way to make coronavirus contact tracing easier.

The Australian Department of Health reported 6,941 coronavirus cases with 6,163 recoveries and 97 deaths as of Monday. 

The Department of Foreign Affairs earlier recorded 2,178 coronavirus cases among Filipinos abroad, including 253 deaths and 642 recoveries. 

As of Sunday, the Philippines has 10,794 cases of the coronavirus, with 719 deaths and 1,924 recoveries. – Rappler.com