Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia confirms 1,351 new cases, total now 22,753

Saudi Arabia detected 1,351 new coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours, raising the total to 22,753, the health ministry spokesman said on Thursday. Meanwhile, the death toll reached 162 after five fatalities were recorded.

The spokesman said 83 percent of the newly detected cases are of non-Saudis and 17 percent are Saudi nationals.

Medical teams have been actively performing field tests throughout the Kingdom to screen as many people as possible, with a focus on crowded residential areas.

As the number of confirmed cases continues to rise, an increasing number of patients are also recovering, and the death toll remains relatively low.

Less than one percent of the those who contracted the virus in Saudi Arabia have passed away, while 14 percent of the Kingdom’s coronavirus patients have recovered so far.

Earlier this month, Health Minister Dr. Tawfiq al-Rabiah said the Kingdom’s coronavirus cases could reach between 10,000 to 200,000 based on four different studies conducted by Saudi and foreign experts.

However, Saudi Arabia implemented several precautionary measures to try and slow the spread of the virus. Some of these measures were recently relaxed with the start of the Muslim holy month Ramadan.

Curfew timings were revised allowing people to go out during the day but mosques remain closed to all communal prayers across the country, including two of the holiest sites in Mecca and Medina.

All public and private large gatherings are still banned.

Al Arabiya English