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
July 13,2020

Dubai, July 13: An explosion caused by a gas leak damaged a restaurant, and nearby shops at a residential building in Dubai on Monday morning. 

According to Brigadier Abdul Haleem Al Hashemi, Deputy Director of Al Qusais Police Station, the incident took place at 4am when the restaurant was closed.

No injuries were reported, but two nearby shops, a pharmacy, a salon and three cars were severely damaged.

"Dubai Police patrols were immediately dispatched to the scene and worked with Dubai Civil Defense to evacuate residents of the two-storey building as a precautionary measure," Brig Al Hashimi explained.

Preliminary investigations showed that the blast was caused by a gas leak, the officer said. The Crime Scene Department of the General Department of Forensics and Criminology in Dubai is studying the evidence collected from the site and will be preparing the final report on the accident.

Brig Al Hashimi urged restaurant owners to ensure that all safety and security systems at their outlets are in good condition. Regular maintenance checks should also be conducted on all pipes and gas regulators, especially during the summer season.

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News Network
April 10,2020

Dubai, Apr 10: Saudi Arabia reported 364 new coronavirus cases and three new virus-related deaths, the Ministry of Health announced on Friday.

The total number of confirmed cases in the Kingdom is 3,651, out of which 2,919 are currently active, the ministry added.

Out of the new cases, 90 were recorded in Mecca, 78 in Medina, 69 in Riyadh, and 54 in Jeddah, the ministry said.

Meanwhile, the number of fatalities rose to 47, while th number of recoveries reached 685.

The daily number of confirmed cases in Saudi Arabia has not peaked yet, and has been rapidly accelerating.

Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Health had said earlier this week that four different studies showed that the number of coronavirus cases in the Kingdom could reach between 10,000 to 200,000 within weeks.

The ministry spokesman emphasized the urgent need for citizens and residents to remain at home and maintain social distancing practices to ensure that the virus does not spread further.

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News Network
June 5,2020

New Delhi, Jun 5: As part of global efforts to combat COVID-19, the UAE has provided more than 708 tonnes of medical aid, personal protection kits and supplies to 62 countries, including India, with direct beneficiaries exceeding 708,000 health workers, a UAE Embassy statement said.

The UAE is regarded as the main lifeline for the logistic operations of the international organizations' strategic warehouses in Dubai's International Humanitarian City (IHC) where the UAE is the first responder to the global crises, especially in providing assistance in relation to the current COVID-19 pandemic, it said.

Dubai's IHC has dispatched more than 132 shipments to 98 countries around the world so far since the beginning of this year, and is working as a central hub to distribute the personal protection kits, the statement said.

While the UAE continues its constant work of supporting the global efforts aimed at curbing the spread of the COVID-19 disease, it has provided more than 708 tons of medical aid, personal protection kits and supplies to 62 countries worldwide to date, with direct beneficiaries exceeding 708,000 health workers, it said.

In addition, 65 million indirect beneficiaries profited from the UAE's global efforts in combating the spread of the virus, the statement said.

Meanwhile, Etihad Airways, effective June 10, said it will link 20 cities in Europe, Asia and Australia via Abu Dhabi.

The new transfer services will make it possible for those travelling on the airline's current network of special flights to connect easily through the UAE capital onwards to key global destinations.

Etihad recently launched links from Melbourne and Sydney to London Heathrow, allowing direct transfer connections to and from the UK capital via Abu Dhabi.

Easy transfer connections via Abu Dhabi will now be available from Jakarta, Karachi, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Melbourne, Seoul, Singapore, Sydney, and Tokyo to major cities across Europe including Amsterdam, Barcelona, Brussels, Dublin, Frankfurt, Geneva, London Heathrow, Madrid, Milan, Paris Charles de Gaulle, and Zurich, the airline said.

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