Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia reports 382 new cases, five new deaths

Saudi Arabia reported 382 new coronavirus cases and five new virus-related deaths, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the Kingdom to 4,033 and the number of fatalities to 52, the Ministry of Health announced on Saturday.

The number of daily confirmed cases in Saudi Arabia has not reached the peak yet, and cases continue to rise at a rapid rate.

Out of the 382 cases, 131 were detected in Mecca, 95 in Medina, 76 in Riyadh, and 50 in Jeddah. In recent days, 70 to 80 percent of the cases reported were of non-citizens, the ministry spokesman Mohammed Abdulali said.

The new cases were recorded in people of different age groups, indicating that while experts have said the elderly are more vulnerable, everyone is susceptible to the disease, the spokesman said.

Among those who died are a 33-year-old male citizen in Jeddah, a 67-year-old male citizen in Medina, and three residents in Jeddah and Mecca aged 41, 63, and 80 years old. Most of the fatalities reported had chronic illnesses.

Abdulali advised the public to use the “Mawid” app that enables citizens and residents to check whether they need to self-isolate or visit a hospital after registering their recent travel history and any coronavirus symptoms they may be showing.

Saudi Arabia is implementing several methods to treat patients, including the use of plasma injections in the Kingdom’s more than 20 coronavirus treatment facilities, the spokesman said. So far, 720 people have recovered from the coronavirus in Saudi Arabia.

Cases will keep rising

Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Health had said earlier this week that four different studies showed that the number of coronavirus cases in the Kingdom could reach between 10,000 to 200,000 within weeks.

The ministry spokesman emphasized the urgent need for citizens and residents to remain at home and maintain social distancing practices to ensure that the virus does not spread further.

The Kingdom has begun repatriating citizens from around the world, as the pandemic halted the operation of flights globally. So far, a total of 1,639 citizens have returned to Saudi Arabia.