2-pronged strategy to wipe out MERS

May 3, 2014

MERS_wipe_outRiyadh/Jeddah, May 3: Seven fresh cases of coronavirus (MERS-CoV) were reported on Friday bringing the total number of infected cases in the Kingdom to 378 including 107 deaths since September 2012.

No fatalities due to the virus have been reported in any part of the Kingdom on Friday, said a Health Ministry official.

Acting Health Minister Adel Fakeih, meanwhile, said his ministry was currently focusing on a two-pronged approach to prevent and treat coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and to offer the best health care services to the people in the Kingdom.

He was addressing the directors of the 20 health regions and other concerned officials on ways to combat the disease.

Members of the National Scientific Committee for the Prevention of Infectious Diseases, officials from the ministries of interior, higher education, municipal affairs, National Guard, defense and private health sector executives attended the meeting.

According to the ministry official, the seven new cases reported during the past 24 hours included four in Riyadh and three in Jeddah.

He said four of them are stable, while two were in critical condition and undergoing treatment in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) while the seventh patient was still under observation.

In Riyadh, three women aged 31, 28 and 50 have been affected with the disease and the fourth is a 28-year-old man who contracted the disease from an infected patient and is currently being treated at a private hospital where his condition is reported to be stable.

In Jeddah, two women of 38 and 28 years of age were reported to be infected with the virus and their condition is reported to be stable.

A 60-year-old man who is currently under treatment at a private hospital is reported to be critically ill at the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital in Jeddah.

At Wednesday’s meeting, Fakeih urged his officials to make more field visits to ensure proper health care during this period of crisis.

The minister thanked Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah for his concern toward offering the best health care services to the people in the Kingdom.

Spelling out the noble practices in health services, Fakeih said the officials should pay attention to the values of sincerity, honesty, and perseverance; perfection and transparency, and provide services with a sense of dedication, kindness and love.

He also urged officials to work as a team and ensure proper coordination with the concerned officials to give the best health care to the patients.

Fakeih’s new directives came as Egypt’s Health Ministry issued a warning to children, elderly people and anyone suffering from chronic heart and chest diseases against traveling to Saudi Arabia.

The first case of the disease in Egypt was reported on Thursday, in a 27-year-old man who lives in Saudi Arabia but returned ill to Egypt last week after having been in contact with an uncle in the Kingdom who died of MERS.

In a statement, cited by Reuters, Egypt’s health ministry said that anyone under the age of 15 or older than 65, as well as pregnant women and people suffering from chronic heart and chest diseases, should postpone pilgrimages to Saudi Arabia.

It further confirmed that no further MERS cases had been reported in Egypt.

The man, who contracted the virus is in stable condition, in a hospital in Cairo. Mohammad Al-Balawi, director of the information department in the Saudi embassy in Jordan, confirmed that a Saudi citizen who came to Jordan for medical treatment is inflicted with the corona virus.

He said the embassy received a call a few days ago about the presence of a Saudi patient inflicted with MERS in Al-Zaytoun hospital in Zerqa, north of Jordan.

As soon as the embassy received the call it called a number of well known hospitals in Jordan to explore the possibility of moving the patient to one of them.

These hospitals refrained from taking the patient because they have no vacant isolation rooms, said Al-Balawi said.

He said the embassy called the Jordanian Ministry of Health, which expressed its willingness to cooperate with the embassy and treat the patient in Prince Hamza hospital, which is equipped to receive such cases.

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News Network
April 24,2020

Apr 24: Dubai's Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management has announced partial easing of restrictions on public movement in the emirate starting from Friday amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

The announcement is in line with the decisions of the Ministry of Health and Prevention and the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA), a statement released late on Thursday said.

The move, which coincides with the start of the fasting month of Ramzan, will allow increased freedom of movement while ensuring the continuation of strict precautionary and preventive measures, the statement said.

The Committee has also outlined a new set of guidelines on movement and a list of exempted commercial activities and vital sectors, it added.

The decision to reduce restrictions on movement in Dubai follows a careful assessment of the current situation and analysis of reports from various authorities working to combat the pandemic, the committee said.

Underlining the emirate’s success in countering the spread of the virus, it said that stringent measures undertaken over the last three weeks have significantly helped to mitigate the crisis.

It further stressed that despite the partial easing of restrictions on movement, people will not be allowed to hold public or private gatherings and those who breach the guidelines will face legal action.

The need to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the community cannot be underestimated, the Committee stressed.

"Despite the difficult circumstances the world is facing today, the UAE has set an example for dealing with the crisis. This was also made possible through the commitment of all individuals and institutions both in the private and public sector,” the committee said in the statement.

“All measures undertaken by the country have been driven by the objective of safeguarding everyone’s safety and wellbeing,” it added.

Public transport (bus and metro), restaurants and cafes (except for buffet and shisha), retail sector (malls, high-street outlets and souqs), wholesale sector and maintenance shops will be allowed to operate under certain conditions, it said.

Shopping malls, markets and commercial outlets will be open daily from 12 pm to 10 pm. Restaurants and shops are allowed to operate at a maximum of 30 per cent capacity at shopping malls, it said.

Malls and retail outlets are not allowed to hold entertainment events to avoid congestion and crowding, it added.

Restaurants and cafés too have been allowed to operate but are not permitted to serve shisha and buffet. Dine-in customers are allowed but should occupy only a maximum of 30 per cent of the outlet’s capacity and only single-use cutlery can be used at restaurants and cafes, it said.

However, family entertainment facilities, cinemas, changing rooms and prayer rooms will not be allowed to operate. Hotels will be allowed to operate without opening pools, gyms, sauna and massage parlours.

A maximum of 30 per cent of the workforce of all organisations will be allowed to work from their offices while the rest will be required to work from home.

As part of the first phase of easing of restrictions, the stringent curbs on public movement will now be limited to the period between 10 pm to 6 am. During this period, the public will be allowed to leave their homes only for medical emergencies.

Individuals will be able to leave their homes between 6 am and 10 pm without a permit.

The public will be required to strictly follow precautionary measures which include maintaining physical distance from others as per guidelines and wearing a face mask. Those who do not wear a mask will be subject to a fine of AED 1,000.

Members of the public have also been allowed to exercise outside their homes provided they do not leave their area of residence. They can undertake activities such as walking, running or cycling for 1-2 hours each time. Only a maximum of three people can exercise at the same time.

Permission has also been granted to allow visit first and second degree relatives as long as gatherings are restricted to not more than five people. However, visiting high-risk individuals (individuals above 60 years and those with underlying medical conditions) should be avoided.

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News Network
May 19,2020

Abu Dhabi: The United Arab Emirates today reported 873 new coronavirus cases, pushing the total number of COVID-19 infections in the country to 25,063.

Three more people have died from the virus, bringing the total death toll to 227, the ministry revealed, adding that a total of 1,214 COVID-19 patients have made full recovery, which takes the overall number of patients recovered to 10,791.

The latest coronavirus patients, all of whom are in a stable condition and receiving the necessary care, were identified after conducting more than 38,000 additional COVID-19 tests among UAE citizens and residents over the past few days, the ministry said.

It expressed its sincere condolences to the families of the deceased and wished a speedy recovery to all patients, calling on the public to cooperate with health authorities and comply with all precautionary measures, particularly social distancing protocols, to ensure the safety and protection of the public.

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News Network
January 10,2020

Dubai, Jan 10: Iran denied on Thursday that a Ukrainian airliner that crashed near Tehran had been hit by a missile, Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei said in a statement, according to state TV.

"All these reports are a psychological warfare against Iran. All those countries whose citizens were aboard the plane can send representatives and we urge Boeing to send its representative to join the process of investigating the black box".

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