On Thursday afternoon, the COVID-19 Follow-up Committee held its 29th meeting. Chaired by the Minister of Health, Dr. Tawfik bin Fawzan al-Rabiah, the meeting was attended by the committee members, who represent the relevant government sectors. During the meeting, all relevant COVID-19 updates and reports were reviewed. The committee discussed the epidemiological situation globally, as well as the cases reported locally. All the precautionary measures carried out at the points of entry into the Kingdom will continue in full, the committee stressed, and will be further enhanced.
MOH spokesperson, Dr. Muhammad al-Abdulaali, mentioned that the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide has amounted to 220,000 cases, of which 84,000 cases have been cured to date. As for the COVID-19 death toll, it has jumped to 9,000.
So far, said al-Abdulaali, the Kingdom has reported 238 confirmed COVID-19 cases, an increase of 67 cases compared to the previous accumulative amount, most of them are isolated since their arrival in the Kingdom. He pointed out that many cases (180 cases) got infected while traveling or transiting through countries where the virus spread and 54 cases got infected as a result of contact with infected cases.
He added that 8 cases of them have recovered and the remaining 230 cases are quarantined, receiving required medical care and are in good condition, with the exception of 2 critical cases.
The cases (115 males and 123 females) are adults with an average age of 45 years, except 6 children. They include 151 Saudis and 87 non-Saudis. Also, the quarantined cases amounted to 9,500 cases and the advanced laboratory examinations to 14,000. The 937 Service Center received more than 240,000 inquiries about COVID-19.
He advised everyone to abide by the following safety tips, avoiding handshakes, washing hands with soap and water frequently, avoiding gatherings and isolating arrivals from outside the Kingdom for 14 days, calling on them to use the COVID-19 symptoms self-assessment service via Mawid App. He stressed the importance of depending on the official sources for getting information, and not listening to rumors. "Everyone who has coronavirus symptoms, or has an inquiry is welcomed to call our 937 Center, 24/7", he added.