The rate of new Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infections and deaths have slowed down, the Ministry of Health announced on its website, as only two deaths and two new infections were reported during the past week, and six patients fully recovered from the virus and were discharged from hospitals, the Saudi Gazette reported.
Saudi Arabia’s battle against MERS-CoV has ramped up in recent weeks. The Kingdom announced this weekend that it would be re-evaluating 20 centers specified for the treatment of the deadly virus, the Saudi Gazette reported in a separate article. “We decided to reevaluate the centers because some of them do not have the required capability and resources to deal with coronavirus cases,” said Command and Control Center chief Dr. Abdulaziz Saeed.
In February, a delegation of World Health Organization (WHO) and other international organizations visited Saudi Arabia and concluded that the Kingdom must do more to combat the spread of the disease, particularly in hospitals.
“Although data collection and surveillance have improved globally in recent months, critical gaps in knowledge remain, and several challenges in [Saudi Arabia] will require further work,” the WHO said.
