Saudi Arabia: 27 new coronavirus cases in five days

With the announcement by the Health Ministry on Sunday that three new cases of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) were reported in Riyadh, the number of the confirmed cases of the infection has risen to 27 in five days.

The ministry said a 32-year-old expatriate woman working in a hospital in Riyadh, a 42-year-old Saudi and his 44-year-old compatriot were the three new cases in the capital.

According to the ministry, the three cases were stable.

Since the virus was first discovered in Saudi Arabia in September 2012, a total of 1,413 people have been affected. They included Saudi and expatriate men and women in various age groups.

According to the ministry’s figures, 790 people recovered, 593 died and 30 cases are currently under treatment.

This article first appeared in the Saudi Gazette on June 21, 2016.