OFW- Twenty-three Filipinos in Dubai have already died of COVID-19, said the Philippine consulate general on Friday.

Consul General Paul Raymund Cortes of Dubai Arab Emirates, gave the figure two days after the Philippine embassy reported 17 deaths. Cortes did not say how many Filipinos have contracted the disease and the exact number of recoveries.

“Mino-monitor po namin lahat sila. So far, marami naman ang nagkakaroon ng recovery,” he said in a televised briefing.

The Philippine Embassy has already extended cash assistance to Filipino workers who have been displaced by the pandemic even as mobility restrictions are starting to ease in Dubai, a top business hub in the Middle East.

“Magkakaroon na rin ng tsansa ang mga kababayan natin na bumalik sa kani-kanilang mga trabaho,” said Cortes.

Around 1,500 Filipinos have already expressed interest to return to the Philippines, the consul general said.

“We’re all in this together,” Cortes said. 

As of May 7, the Philippines recorded a total of 10,343 cases of COVID-19, with 685 deaths and 1,618 recoveries.

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