RIYADH — Saudi Arabia recorded on Thursday 436 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed infections in the Kingdom to 349,822, according to a statement from the Ministry of Health. The ministry announced 17 more patients died over the past 24 hours from complications caused by COVID-19, taking the total number of virus-related fatalities to 5,506. The ministry also reported 465 new recoveries over the past 24 hours, raising the total number of people free from the deadly virus to 336,533 with the recovery rate rising to 96.20 percent. Of the new cases, Riyadh recorded the highest with 69 followed by Madinah with 68 and Makkah with 32. The remaining cases were detected in different cities and governorates across the Kingdom. Meanwhile, active cases have been falling steadily with 7,783 reported on Thursday, out of which 736 are critical.