Kingdom of Saudi Arabia recorded 5 new coronavirus (COVID-19) deaths, raising the death toll to 92, the health ministry spokesman said on Saturday.
A 34-year-old Saudi national was one of the latest to die due to the coronavirus, in addition to 4 other non-Saudis with ages ranging between 45 and 80 years old, according to the ministry of health.
Meanwhile, another 1,132 new coronavirus cases were recorded, bringing the total to 8,274 cases.
Out of the 1,132 new cases, 315 were detected in Makkah, 186 in Madinah, 225 in Riyadh, 236 in Jeddah, 88 in Dammam, 27 in Jubail, 13 in Tabuk, and 10 in Taif.
A total of 1329 people have recovered from the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Saudi Arabia so far.
We are conducting mass surveillance of COVID19, to proactively increase efforts to reach populations within neighborhoods and individuals in their homes. We’ve also expanded the drive-through testing, to identify cases early on, thereby minimizing the need for hospitalization. pic.twitter.com/xrwRz90htS
— توفيق الربيعة (@tfrabiah) April 17, 2020
The spokesman said the increase in numbers is due to the intensified testing throughout the Kingdom. Adding, 79 % of the new cases were discovered through the ministry’s field testing campaign in which medical teams are visiting crowded residential areas to screen residents in their homes.
Medical teams are actively conducting coronavirus screenings in Mecca and Medina neighborhoods, the health ministry announced on Friday. Saudi Arabia has recorded a higher number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in crowded residential areas, including neighborhoods with a high number of labor worker residences.
Sources: Al Arabiya English & Ministry of Health Saudi Arabia
