Number of corona virus cases in Saudi rises to 205

Saudi Arabia reported Wednesday one new death of a Saudi citizen, 52, and five cases of MERS corona virus, according to a statement by the Health Ministry. The total number of cases rose to 205, including 71 deaths since the first case was diagnosed in 2012. All the new cases are in Jeddah. Among the new cases are two citizens and three residents, of which two are medics. One is in the Intensive Care Unit, while the rest are in stable conditions. The ministry highlighted that 200 samples were tested negative of those associated with infected persons or with the disease symptoms. The Health Ministry will seek the assistance of international pharmaceutical companies and research institutions to produce an effective drug to fight against the virus, according to a report in Arab News Wednesday. The National Scientific Committee for Infectious Diseases ( NSCID) announced that the situation in the western province is well under control and there were only 28 positive cases in the region, which account for 14.4 percent of the total number of cases in the country. Riyadh recorded the largest number of corona virus patients at 82 followed by Jeddah, while Al-Ahsa had 25 cases.