JEDDAH — The Ministry of Health has designated King Abdullah Medical Complex in North Obhur to handle possible cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) during the current Haj season. Any suspected MERS case among the Haj pilgrims will be airlifted to the hospital, Al-Madinah daily reported quoting a ministry source. The 500-bed complex has a special center for the treatment of MERS. “All arrangements are in place to receive MERS patients at the complex. An experimental air-evacuation was carried out recently,” the source said. The ministry has said 15 more people have died in the Kingdom after contracting the virus in the last seven days amid a surge in infections in the capital, Riyadh. The ministry's most recent figures on Thursday show that 498 people have died in Saudi Arabia after contracting the virus since it was first identified in 2012, compared to 483 a week ago. The Kingdom also registered 47 new cases in the past seven days, all but two in Riyadh. That brings the total number nationwide to 1,165, with 64 receiving treatment and 603 fully recovered.
