Thirteen new cases of contamination by the MERS coronavirus have been recorded in Saudi Arabia, announced the Saudi Ministry of Health, which recalls that this infection has caused 81 deaths in its country.
Of these new cases recorded, seven were identified in Jeddah (west), four in Riyadh, one in Medina (west) and one in Najrane (south).
On Sunday, the Ministry of Health announced the death of three people infected with the coronavirus: a 49-year-old foreigner who died in Riyadh and two Saudis, 68 years old each, one of whom died in Najrane (south) and the other in Medina (west). On Monday, a 73-year-old Saudi man died in Riyadh and another 54-year-old died in Jeddah, in the west of the country.
“261 cases of contamination have been recorded in the country since the appearance of the disease in September 2012, which makes it the first focus of the coronavirus in the world”, recalls the Minister of Health, Abdallah al-Rabia.
If on Sunday, the minister announced that “the disease had not yet reached the epidemic stage and that only the World Health Organization (WHO) was authorized to declare this state”, he assured that “the measures taken by its services were compatible with international standards”. On Monday, Abdallah al-Rabia was relieved of his duties without explanation.
This new coronavirus named CoV was identified in September 2012. It is quite similar to the 2003 SARS human coronavirus which killed 800 people. But fortunately it is much less contagious.
Coronavirus infection is manifested by fever and respiratory signs that may be complicated by acute respiratory distress syndrome. The incubation period is currently estimated at 10 days. To date, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports 243 confirmed cases of infection worldwide, including 93 deaths since September 2012. The WHO does not recommend travel restrictions with the countries of the Peninsula arabic.
Where to inquire if in doubt:
A toll-free information number for the general public has been set up by the Ministry of Health: 0 800 13 00 00. Contacts can be reached from Monday to Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
