The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is observing another spike in COVID-19 infections among overseas Filipinos as 198 more individuals have contracted the virus.
The new infections reported on Monday, December 18 brought the official tally to 12,816 — 3,654 of whom are currently undergoing treatment.

The agency also recorded 107 new recoveries, which raises the official number of recovered and discharged patients to 8,234.

Likewise, the death toll rose by 63 to a total of 928 fatalities.

“Today, the DFA reports spikes in the total numbers of confirmed COVID-19-related statistics among Filipinos abroad, with 189 new cases, 107 new recoveries, and 63 new fatalities recorded among those in Asia and the Pacific, and Europe,” the DFA said.

“The increase is due to late reports from several countries in Europe,” it added.

Overall by region, Europe – which comprises 20 countries – has recorded 1,772 Filipino cases, including 386 undergoing treatment, 1,226 recoveries and 160 deaths.

The Middle East and Africa, covering 32 countries, has reported 7,626 cases; of which, 2,405 are undergoing treatment, 553 deaths and 4,668 recoveries.

The Asia Pacific region, which spans across 21 countries, has 2,637 cases, with 801 undergoing treatment, 1,815 recoveries, and 21 deaths.

The Americas – covering 10 countries like the United States – have 781 reported cases, with 62 undergoing treatment, 525 recoveries, and 194 deaths.

“To date, the total number of countries and territories with confirmed cases among Filipinos is now at 84,” the DFA noted.

It added, “The DFA, together with its Foreign Service Posts, continues to partner with host governments to ensure the safety and well-being of Filipino nationals abroad amidst the pandemic.”

Meanwhile in the Philippines, there are a total of 461,505 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with  8,957 fatalities and 429,207 recoveries.