RIYADH —The Ministry of Health on Tuesday launched the third phase of expanded testing to evaluate the rate of spread of the coronavirus in the Kingdom. The ministry stressed that this phase will not include COVID-19 testing inside homes, or authorities visiting residences, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported. It will be conducted through several outlets: centers for testing people inside their cars in several cities, testing in primary health care centers, and citizens and residents will be able to book appointments to collect their own test samples through an online application. The first phase of testing included the ministry's field teams screening densely populated neighborhoods and labor residences in several cities. The second phase started May 4 (the 10th of Ramadan), and involved individuals who had scheduled coronavirus tests through the application "Mawid". Minister of Health Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah had said on Sunday that the Kingdom maintains one of the lowest coronavirus death rates in the world, as well as one of the lowest numbers of critical cases among COVID-19 patients. The number of coronavirus fatalities in the Kingdom represent 0.55 percent of all confirmed cases. Meanwhile, the global number of deaths represents 6.6 percent of all confirmed cases around the world.
