Saudi Arabia reports 1st COVID-19 case, More MERS cases

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews

The Ministry of Health (MOH) announced Monday the first case of coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in a citizen who returned from Iran via the Kingdom of Bahrain. He has not disclosed his condition at the Saudi port of entry.

In line with the precautionary measures, MOH immediately dispatched its infection control team to perform medical and laboratory examination, which confirmed the citizen’s infection with the virus.

MOH reassures everyone that the case is currently isolated in a hospital and receiving the necessary health services according to the adopted medical procedures. Also, all persons who were in close contact with him have been identified and samples were taken from them for examination by the Saudi Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and results will be announced as soon as possible.

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In addition, the MOH reported seven new Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) cases since the weekend–5 in Riyadh, 1 in Taif, and 1 in Mecca. The MOH said that none of the infected patients were healthcare workers and that only one had reported contact with camels, a known risk factor for MERS. The remaining patients’ exposure to camels is unknown.