The deadly coronavirus has made its way to western Saudi Arabia. Four more people tested positive for the infection in the city of Taif, near Mecca, Saudi Arabia's health ministry said in a statement on Thursday, June 20.
The Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health (MOH) confirmed four more cases of the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus MERS-CoV in the city of Taif and said all patients recovered fully.
All the four cases were found among women aged between 29 and 45 years. The first case of the virus was reported in a 42-year- old Saudi female and followed by 3 other health professionals in Taif.
The Ministry of Health tested 308 other samples over the last three days, which were all negative for the MERS-CoV, read the statement.
The CoV infections have gathered worldwide attention due to its 60 percent mortality rate. Due to the limited number of cases around the world, it has been difficult to identify the cause and source of the infection. According to a recent meeting between Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) officials concerning the spread of the virus, there have been three major patterns seen based on the cases in hand. The health officials found that the disease spreads within communities, with person-to-person contact within families who have been with the infected patient and among health care officials. But the source and the cause of the spread of the virus remain unknown.
According to a latest report from the Geneva-based WHO, with the addition of four new cases the total confirmed cases of the infection has risen to 68 since September last year. Saudi Arabia has recorded the highest number of cases of the CoV infection. Fifty three out of 68 infections and 32 out of 38 deaths have been recorded in Saudi Arabia.
Other countries including France, Germany, Britain, Jordan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have also reported incidents of CoV .
