A total of five Filipinos have died of coronavirus since it was detected in September 2012, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in the Philippines.

DFA Assistant Secretary Charles Jose told the press of the death toll as he announced Thursday that two more Filipinos in Jeddah had died of MERS-CoV.

Earlier, a Filipino nurse also died at a local hospital in the Saudi capital. She was from Negros Occidental in southern Philippines.

“Our consulate in Jeddah confirmed that two more died of MERS-CoV. Based on the information obtained from official sources by the consul general’s representatives, one of the Filipinos died on May 18 while the other died on May 12,” Jose said.

The Filipino who died on May 18 has been identified as 28-year-old Michelle Coloquio.