An 11-year-old boy in Riyadh was the latest victim of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) on Thursday, bringing the total number of fatalities to 187 out of the 568 infected patients in the Kingdom since September 2012.

Three fresh cases were also reported during the same period.

The latest victim was a patient suffering from a brain tumor who had been admitted to a government hospital in Riyadh on May 16 and who subsequently died Wednesday, said Health Ministry officials.

The three new patients were all men, aged 44, 55 and 71, from Riyadh, Madinah and Hafr Al-Batin.

The patients are said to be in stable condition, according to doctors.

Three patients, including two women, have also been discharged from hospitals in Jeddah over the past 24 hours.

Acting Health Ministry Adel Fakeih, meanwhile, has reiterated that the Kingdom is working with international scientific organizations to improve its response to the deadly virus.