Further to the previous statement by the Ministry of Health (MOH) on the registration of the cases infected with the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in Taif, the Ministry would like to clarify that it is still recording sporadic cases of Corona infections; that is why great importance should be attached to adherence to the preventive measures to curb the spread of the disease, and avoiding contact with the infected camels as well as upholding the infection control measures in health facilities.
The Ministry pointed out that, thanks to Allah, a comprehensive review and implementation of all precautionary and preventive measures to curb the spread of the viral infection has been accomplished in Taif's health facilities. In this spirit, a 20-dialysis-chair kidney unit in King Faisal Hospital in Taif has been operated urgently in order to ease the pressure and accommodate about one-third of the patients. Also, the kidney unit at King Abdul Aziz Hospital in Taif has been disinfected and operated for and additional work shift to serve the beneficiaries continuously.
As part of the said measures, also, specimen have been taken from all the kidney units' inpatients in King Abdul Aziz Hospital to verify of their safety, and to make sure that they have not been infected. Coupled with this is the daily monitoring of the vital signs (biomarkers) for all patients undergoing kidney dialysis, as well as taking strict measures regarding visits to patients and movement in the units.
In addition to that, the Ministry has supplied Taif Health Affairs General Directorate with a mobile laboratories unit, which has been operated at King Faisal Hospital. It will help get the results of virus detection in a record time. The measures also included more practical training for health workers about the ways to prevent infection.
The statement added that coordination is underway to transfer all confirmed cases to King Faisal Hospital, which has previously been identified as a reference hospital for treatment of Corona patients in Taif province. Moreover, modifications have been made in the Corona patients ward in the hospital to ensure isolation of the suspected cases from the confirmed ones.
The Ministry indicated that six of the corona cases recently recorded in Taif had been undergoing kidney dialysis at King Abdul Aziz Hospital in Taif; the first of these cases had had direct contact with camels. That is to be added to two other cases for female health workers at King Faisal Hospital, while the remaining cases got infected as a result of direct contact with camels.
In conclusion, the statement called upon everyone to abide by the health guidelines for prevention of the disease, and underscored the importance of taking the preventive measures to reduce infection when dealing with camels, and avoiding contact with the diseased ones.
For more information about ways to prevent the disease, please visit the MOH website: hhp://www.moh.gov.sa/ccc.