Photo has been used for illustrative purposes.

Mariecar Jara-Puyod, Senior Reporter

A Filipino in the UAE has recovered from the dreaded pneumonia-like Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19).

The Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi (AUHPE) released a statement on the good news without any details of the personal circumstances of the patient on Monday.

The statement also mentioned about another Filipino as among the 12 new cases in the UAE as of March 15 (Sunday). Currently, health authorities are taking care of 98 COVID19 patients.

As of 13:00 GMT on March 16 (Monday), total number of COVID-19 cases worldwide, according to the World Health Organization was at 173,320 from 160 countries—a number of which are small islands—including the Diamond Princess.

Of the 173,320 were 3,760 new cases registered in 71 countries.

As of March 16 (Monday) were 77,789 recovered/discharged people in 72 countries and 6,684 deaths in 50 countries.

Meanwhile, on Monday, Facebook launched its Business Resource Hub to keep business flowing amidst the lockdowns and controls governments have been imposing to mitigate the further rise of COVID19 cases across borders.

The AUHPE statement: “Per coordination of the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi with UAE authorities and according to the latest announcement from the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) dated 15 March 2020, there is one (1) Filipino among the twelve (12) new cases of COVID-19 in the UAE, bringing the total to five (5) Filipinos in the UAE with COVID-19.”

According to the AUHPE, “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also informed the Embassy that one (1) Filipino patient has already tested negative for COVID-19.”

The UAE authorities assured that all Filipino COVID-19 sufferers have been under strict observation and “are receiving necessary treatment according to highest medical standards.”

The AUHPE statement includes its request to all the over 600,000 Filipinos in the UAE “to pray for the full recovery of our kababayans (countrymen) from COVID-19.”

On the Facebook special business hub are the following recommendations:

•    Keep yourself safe and informed. Follow official sources for news such as the WHO and the government health authorities in order to have timely critical adjustments.

•    Stay in touch with customers by proactively using all the credible digital and social media platforms.

•    Create online sessions.

•    Prepare a customer service plan which includes an avenue for question-and-answer portion.

•    Provide Frequently Asked Questions complete with clear and accurate answers.