Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia's Covid-19 cases surpass 10,000

Dubai - Health Minister Dr Tawfiq Al Rabiah says the spike is due to active testing.

The number of coronavirus cases in Saudi Arabia now exceeds 10,000, Saudi Health Minister Dr Tawfiq Al Rabiah said on Monday.
He said that the increase in the number of Covid-19 cases in the Kingdom was a result of active testing, having warned there would be a spike several weeks ago.
The total number of Covid-19 cases in the Kingdom has reached 10,484, he disclosed. Of the total cases, 8,891 are under treatment and 88 of them are in a critical condition.
"Instead of waiting for someone to tell us they suspect a person might be infected and putting him in quarantine, we actively go to the high-risk areas and carry out tests to identify cases early," Dr Al Rabiah said.
Health Ministry spokesman, Dr Mohammed Al Abd Al Aly, told a daily media briefing that 1,122 new cases were reported across the Kingdom on Monday.
He revealed that of the total new cases, 874 were confirmed as a result of active testing carried out in crowded districts and other high-risk areas.
"This makes up 80 per cent of the newly recorded cases in the Kingdom," Al Aly said.
The spokesman said that 27 per cent of the cases were Saudis and the remaining 73 per cent were reported among expatriates.
He said females comprised 23 per cent of the total cases reported on Monday and that infections were reported among people of all age groups - from two-months-old to 96 years of age.
Al Aly said that 92 patients have recovered from the disease, taking the total number of those recovering to 1,490 while six new deaths had been reported, raising the death toll to 103.
The latest people to die were expats; five in Makkah and one in Jeddah, aged between 23 and 70, and most of them were suffering from chronic health conditions. 
With Ramadan approaching, Al Rabiah urged people to abide by the regulations to help contain the spread of the coronavirus.
"We are used to actively participate in social gatherings and visiting families during Ramadan but this year it will be different. We should abide by precautionary measures and practice social distancing to keep the virus under control," the minister said.

• Saudi Arabia