Saudi Arabia reports first case of coronavirus

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Monday confirmed its first case of coronavirus, the country's health ministry confirmed, according to the state news agency.

The ministry said the patient was a Saudi man who returned from Iran to the Kingdom via Bahrain. It added that the man had not revealed his travel history.

An infection control team was sent to check on the man and test results of a sample taken from him confirmed that he was infected with COVID-19. He was subsequently shifted to an isolation facility at a local hospital where he was being treated.

The Kingdom's Center for Disease Prevention and Control also obtained samples from all the people who had contacted the infected man.

Hospitals prepared, 2,200 beds ready

The Kingdom had prepared 25 hospitals beforehand to handle any coronavirus cases, the ministry's spokesperson, Mohammed Abdelali, had said a day earlier, as part of the precautionary measures that included closing its borders to foreign Umrah pilgrims.

At least 2,200 hospital beds were dedicated for quarantine cases, Abdelali had told a news conference. Saudi Arabia’s trade activity had not been impacted and was "going as usual", he had said at the time.

On Thursday, Saudi Arabia — which has Islam’s two holiest sites — had announced a ban on foreigners coming to the kingdom for Umrah, which can take place at any time of the year, on tourists from at least 25 countries where the virus has been found.

Other Gulf Arab states have reported coronavirus cases, with many of them linked to visits to Iran — which has so far reported 66 deaths and 1,501 confirmed cases — or involving people who have come into contact with people who had been there.

The number of cases of the new coronavirus stand over 89000 across the globe, out of which 3,060 have died, while the disease has spread over 69 countries and territories.

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