The Ministry of Health (MoH) announced Friday that two new cases of MERS coronavirus were reported in Riyadh and Jeddah, taking the total number of cases to 127.

According to an official from the MoH, the person infected in Riyadh is a 72-year-old Saudi man who has been suffering from chronic diseases. The other patient is also a Saudi national, 43, who has no chronic diseases and does not have a travel history outside the western province.

Fifty-three people have died from the virus so far.

Both patients are being treated at the intensive care unit at hospitals in Riyadh and Jeddah, according to the MoH.

The spokesman stressed the fact that the MoH has been continuously monitoring the movement of the virus both in and outside the Kingdom.

The MoH has been cooperating with the World Health Organization to keep the virus under control and it shares its experience with global agencies to combat its spread.

Qatar’s Supreme Council of Health (SCH) also announced Friday a new case of coronavirus after a Qatari man,48, was diagnosed with flu.

Dr. Nazreen Sherbini, MoH specialist in infectious diseases and influenza, said the coronavirus is transmitted through droplets from coughing and sneezing of an infected person to those close to him. Therefore, she said that it is advisable not to have contacts with people infected or probable virus cases.

“People should wear a protective mask that covers the nose and their mouth in crowded places and follow the basic health etiquette while sneezing or coughing,” Sherbini said, warning that they should keep away from people, who have constant coughing, sneezing and have a body temperature of more than 38 degrees Celsius with runny nose.

A recent study on the novel Middle East Respiratory Syndrome of coronavirus (MERS-CoV), conducted by the Ministry of Health shows that it is more complex than it was previously thought.