JEDDAH — The Health Ministry announced that three new confirmed cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (coronavirus) were reported within 24 hours, one in Riyadh and two in Buraidah. The ministry reported no deaths have resulted from the virus so far but also said none of the 30 patients currently being treated across the Kingdom have fully recovered. It said the first confirmed case was a 54-year-old Saudi woman in Riyadh who had been mixing with confirmed or suspected cases in some government hospitals. Her condition is described as stable. The ministry said the second case was a 35-year-old Saudi man who showed symptoms and was admitted to a government hospital in Buraidah. The man, who contracted the infection from mixing with other confirmed or suspected cases, is in a critical condition. The third case is a 23-year-old expatriate who has been admitted to a government hospital in Buraidah and his condition is stable. According to the ministry, in addition to the 30 infected people currently under treatment in government hospitals in various parts of the Kingdom, there is one case secluded at home. It did not specify the patient's gender or location. Ministry sources said that since the virus was first discovered in the Kingdom in September 2012, a total of 883 people were infected of whom 378, or 42 percent, have died.
