RIYADH/JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia's health ministry has announced 429 new coronavirus cases and seven more deaths during a press conference on Sunday.
The tally of COVID-19 cases in the Kingdom has reached 4,462, with 59 deaths, the ministry said.
Dr. Mohammed Abdl Al-Aly, ministry spokesman, said there are currently 3,642 active cases with 65 cases in critical care, and there had been 41 new recoveries, taking the total number of recoveries to 761.
Of the seven new deaths, one was a 90-year-old male in Al-Hofuf and a 53-year-old male in Makkah. Both are Saudis and had prior health conditions.
The remaining five were residents aged between 38 and 63. They lived in Makkah, Madinah and Jeddah. Most of the five also had prior health conditions.
Riyadh has the highest number of confirmed cases at 198, Makkah has 103, Madinah has 73 and there are 19 confirmed cases in Jeddah.
The ministry announced there were more than 40,000 people in self-isolation, monitored by health officials from the start of the outbreak.
There are currently 7,000 people in accommodation set aside by the Ministry of Tourism for the duration of their isolation period, and 2,000 of these are Saudis who have returned to the Kingdom from overseas.
The spokesman said that 95 percent had been cleared after finishing their required 14-day quarantine as laboratory tests confirmed their lack of infection, and just 5 percent had been confirmed.
Al-Aly emphasized the importance of self-checking, as early detection was key to decreasing the spread of the virus.
The ministry highlighted Saudi Arabia is among the best globally in carrying out diagnostic examinations for COVID-19.
The ministry is advising people to get their information from official sources and has a dedicated web page for updates about disease numbers in the Kingdom (covid19.moh.gov.sa).
The 937 number provides medical consultations, referrals and treatment requests 24 hours a day throughout the week.
