JEDDAH — The National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) has criticized the Health Ministry for its slowness in dealing with suspected or confirmed cases of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus. In a report, the society said the ministry has not provided sufficient medical cadres who are qualified to deal with the infection. "The ministry is unnecessarily delaying its medical intervention at the right time, making early examination or providing enough medical care in seclusion rooms difficult," it said. The society also said the seclusion rooms were not equipped with enough facilities such as entertainment tools that may help patients recover quickly. The society asked the ministry to increase its efforts to combat the infection, pay greater attention to early examinations and furnish the seclusion rooms with entertainment tools. "The health practitioners must be protected against the virus and the suspected cases must be quarantined immediately," the society said in the report. Meanwhile, the ministry reported five new coronavirus cases in Riyadh and Hofouf. It said four Saudi men, three of them above 75, have been admitted to a government hospital in Riyadh in critical condition. The fourth patient is only 24 years old. It said a 35-year-old citizen who was admitted to a government hospital in Al-Hofuf was in a stable condition. He reported got infected after mixing with camels. A meeting between a delegation from the World Health Organization (WHO) and senior officials of the ministry recommended serious endemic research so experts can better understand the virus. Dr. Abdulaziz Bin Saeed, the ministry's undersecretary and head of the control and command center, said the team noted that all of the ministry's available research on the virus is clinical. Asked about the truthfulness of the claims that about 90 percent of the camels in the GCC region are infected by coronavirus, he said the role of camels in spreading the virus is scientifically confirmed. He said camels are transporters of the virus as well as the incubators.
