RIYADH -- Expatriates made 69 percent of the 1,911 new coronavirus infections in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, even as nine more persons died of the pandemic. This brings the total number of cases in the Kingdom to 42,925 and the virus-related death toll to 264. Of the new cases reported Tuesday, Saudi citizens made up 31 percent of infections, health ministry spokesman Dr. Muhammad Al-Abdel Ali was quoted by Saudi Press Agency (SPA) as saying. Out of the new cases, males made up 82 percent of cases and females made up 18 percent, he added. Nine people died of the virus, including two Saudi citizens and seven non-Saudis in Makkah, Jeddah, and Wadi Ad-Dawasir in Najd, the spokesman said. The dead were aged were between 29 and 64 years, and most of them suffered from chronic illnesses, he added. Meanwhile, 15,257 recoveries were reported in the Kingdom. Giving the breakup of new cases, Dr. Al-Abdel Ali said Riyadh topped the list with 443, followed by 407 in Makkah, 306 in Jeddah and 176 in Madinah. There were 91 infections in Hufof, 78 in Dammam, 74 in Al-Khobar, 57 in Al-Majma'h, 42 in Hadda, 33 in Jubail, 27 in Tabuk; 18 each in Dhahran, Qarah and Hazem Al-Jalamid; 17 each in Qatif and Baish; 16 each in Taif and Hail; and 10 in Al-Kharj. Additionally, 47 cases were reported from different small towns and cities across the Kingdom. Dr. Al-Abdel Ali urged citizens and residents to adhere to precautionary measures, including maintaining social distancing between each individuals. Dozens of people were infected after they attended wedding parties, funerals, and family gatherings, he said. Four families were also infected with the deadly coronavirus after they got together for a Ramadan iftar gathering, with one family then infected other individuals in a different province.
