RIYADH: The Ministry of Health (MoH) reported seven new Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) cases in the Al-Ahsa region on Tuesday.

MoH spokesman Faisal Al-Zahrani told Arab News on Wednesday that health officials were able to spot the disease immediately under the epidemiological survey carried out by the ministry.

“All seven cases were diagnosed positive on Tuesday night,” Al-Zahrani said, adding that the patients were from one primary case. One of the seven is a nurse working in one of the hospitals in the region.

All the affected have been transferred to Al-Mana General Hospital in Al-Ahsa, which is part of the private group of hospitals. They have been isolated for health safety purposes, the spokesman said.

As a precautionary measure, the MoH has alerted all hospitals in the region to be vigilant about the spread of new cases. Accordingly, they have been requested to report them to the ministry after following the preliminary regulations on admitting such patients.