Coronavirus claims life of an expat in Hafr Al-Batin

The Ministry of Health announced yesterday that a 21-year-old resident in Hafr Al Batin has died as a result of the deadly coronavirus infection bringing the total number of fatalities to 27 out of 42 cases since September 2012.
The ministry said on its website earlier that there were three new cases of the infection: the first was of a 63-year Saudi female in the Eastern Province; the second was a 75-year-old Saudi in Al-Ahsa, who complained of other complications; and the third case was of the 21-year-old in Hafr Al Batin. He was sent to the intensive care unit earlier this week, but succumbed to the infection.
The ministry said that it had examined 87 samples from various areas during the past three days but all had proved negative. However, three days earlier, the ministry also announced a death in Al-Ahsa of a patient suffering from renal failure and other chronic diseases prior to an infection with the novel coronavirus.
The ministry said a couple of days ago that it had studied the aggregate of the infection cases of the new virus (also known as MERS-Cov, which is short for Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome-Corona Virus) and was able to map the genetic sequence of the virus completely in record time after it first appeared in Al Ahsa.
The ministry also said that a team of Saudi and UK researchers conducted an urgent study of the genetic characteristics of the virus, in cooperation with University College London and Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute. This study should help monitor the progress of the virus and arrive at correct diagnosis.