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MANILA, Philippines – At least 26 new cases of COVID-19 have been recorded among Filipino nurses in the UK, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) reported Wednesday.
Citing a report from the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in London to Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, DOLE said the 26 new COVID-19 cases recorded in the past two days brought the total number of nurses affected to 776.
However, it was unclear whether the recently reported cases were of the new variant of COVID-19 in the country, but Labor Attaché Amy Reyes noted that UK National Health Services (NHS) hospitals are “under a extreme pressure due to increased cases. “
The new COVID-19 cases were part of the rise in infections in the UK, Reyes also said in the POLO report.
She said the UK cases rose to 53,135 with 414 deaths out of 41,385 infections and 357 victims in “the days before.”
According to Reyes, the 25 infected Filipino nurses and a health worker are now in isolation and receiving assistance.
He added that nine of those infected were deployed to the UK this year alone, while the rest had been working in the UK since 2019.
In her report, the official said that two other nurses, who were previously infected, have already recovered, while 36 have died.
Two other Filipinos and a healthcare worker, long-time residents of the UK, are in critical condition, it added.
“We are saddened to note that the new wave of infection in the UK involves more of our frontline Filipino workers,” said Bello.
In a separate report for Bello, POLO Singapore’s labor attaché Saul de Vries said the 405 COVID-19 cases among Filipinos have so far been recorded there with two new cases involving newly arrived overseas Filipino workers (OFW). .
De Vries told Bello that Singapore would begin vaccination on Wednesday and that healthcare workers would be the first to be vaccinated to address its 58,542 COVID-19 cases.
Other foreign department of labor positions in Europe and Canada also saw spikes in COVID-19 cases, according to the DOLE.
In Canada, for example, DOLE said the POLO in Vancouver reported that the new COVID-19 variant found in the UK “is now found in four parts of Canada, including British Columbia and Alberta.”
The Philippines initially barred travelers from the UK to prevent possible transmission.
Then the government expanded its ban to 19 other countries until January 15 next year. However, OFWs from these countries will be allowed to return home.
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