RIYADH — Saudi Arabia has confirmed a total of 298,542 total coronavirus cases as of Sunday (Aug. 16) as the recovery rate hits 89 percent, according to the health ministry. The total number of recoveries reached 266,953 as the death toll climbed to 3,408 with 39 new deaths, health ministry spokesman Dr. Muhammad Al-Abdel Ali was quoted by Saudi Press Agency (SPA) as saying. There were 1,227 new cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus, along with 2,466 recoveries during the last 24 hours. This takes the total number of cases in the Kingdom to 298,542. Of the 28,181 active cases in the country, 1,774 are critical, Dr. Al-Abdel Ali said. Riyadh topped the list on Sunday with 62 cases. There were 57 infections each in Jazan and Jeddah, 56 in Makkah, 43 in Baish, 36 in Madinah, 35 each in Al-Harajah, Abu Arish and Sabt Al-Alaya, 34 in Hufof, 33 in Yanbu, 29 in Samtah, 26 in Dammam, 24 in Najran, 23 in Hail, 22 in Buraidah, 21 in Tathlith, 20 each in Al-Ibadi, Taif, An-Namas and Al-Mobarraz. The rest of the cases were scattered in different cities and governorates across the Kingdom, the spokesman said. Health authorities have conducted over 4 million tests since the virus was first detected in the Kingdom.
