A total of 9,774 Filipinos abroad have so far been diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) as 17 more were reported infected by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Tuesday.

The death toll remains at 708 as the agency registered zero fatality for three consecutive days.

“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 amid the pandemic,” it said in a statement.

Most of the cases are logged in Middle East/Africa region with 6,849 followed by Europe with 1,143, the Asia Pacific region with 998, and the Americas with 784.

Of the overall tally, 3,276 are undergoing treatment while 5,790 have recovered.

More than 19 million have already been infected by the coronavirus, of whom 728,013 passed away, according to the latest data from the World Health Organization.

Months since the outbreak began, a vaccine has been announced by the Russian government, the first in the global race for a drug against the highly infectious Covid-19.

Citing President Vladimir Putin, Russia’s state news agency TASS said the vaccine forms “stable cell and antibody immunity”.

One of the first to get inoculated with the Russian vaccine was Putin’s daughter, it noted. (PNA)