The preliminary laboratory screening of the 10 Saudi students evacuated from the Chinese coronavirus epicenter Wuhan showed that they are not infected with coronavirus, according to the Ministry of Health (MOH). "The student will remain in quarantine for 14 days under medical observation to undergo additional screenings and to ensure their health and safety".
The students arrived in Riyadh yesterday (Sunday) following the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and his Crown Prince, may Allah protect them, to evacuate them from China. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques embassy in China have exerted great efforts to facilitate their travel to the Kingdom.
MOH reaffirmed that until now there is no documented case of anyone affected by the novel coronavirus in the Kingdom. It is to be noted that MOH is implementing a number of precautionary measures to prevent infiltration of the virus into the Kingdom by means of screening all arrivals from China via direct and indirect flights, as well as organizing intensive awareness campaigns to combat and prevent the spread of the virus, Allah willing.
MOH has confirmed the readiness of the isolation rooms inside hospitals, adding that the Ministry's Command and Control Center (CCC) has taken many precautionary measures since the outbreak of the virus in China. The CCC also implemented the international health regulations that are followed in such cases in full coordination with all relevant authorities to deal with such situations through the implementation of a number of preventive measures. These measures include: closely monitoring the epidemiological situation by communicating with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other sources, and coordinating with the Civil Aviation Authority, evaluating direct and indirect flights to and from China in order to have personal information about people traveling to the infected areas and to monitor the arrivals from them to ensure their safety.
It is noteworthy that MOH's Saudi Center for Disease Prevention and Control has previously noted that the common symptoms of the coronavirus are similar to the symptoms of an acute respiratory disorder, including fever, cough and shortness of breath. In severe cases, the infection may cause pneumonia and acute respiratory syndrome.