Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — Minister of Health Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah said on Sunday that no cases of infection with the new Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) have been reported in the Kingdom.

“We have not recorded in the Kingdom any case of infection with the new Coronavirus, and we have started implementing strict precautionary and preventive measures to check it from reaching the Kingdom. The transmission of the virus between humans is through respiratory droplets, as no infection was detected resulting from dealing with goods either for this virus or any other virus,” he said.

Dr. Al-Rabiah said the Ministry of Health has implemented many strict precautionary measures to address the new Coronavirus, and has strengthened monitoring and control procedures for this disease in all the entry ports to the Kingdom, in addition to flights coming directly from China, as well as passengers coming from China through indirect flights, and that is in coordination with the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA).

The minister said that the National Center for Disease Prevention and Control has prepared a health guide to deal with suspected cases, carry out the necessary laboratory tests and a mechanism for collecting and transferring samples to the national laboratory at the center. The center also has issued advisory to those traveling to the regions where the disease has broke out.

The minister said that since the beginning of the discovery of the virus in China, the Command and Control Center at the Ministry of Health has taken many precautionary measures and implemented international health regulations that are followed in such situations and that is in full coordination with all relevant agencies to deal with this situation.

“The Center will address the issue by taking a number of preventive precautions, including closely monitoring the epidemiological situation by communicating with the World Health Organization and other available sources and coordinating with GACA to assess direct and indirect travel between the Kingdom and China in order to provide information to people who may travel to the regions where the disease broke out as well as to monitor the incoming passengers and put them under medical tests at the entry ports so as to ensure their safety,” he said.

It is noteworthy that the Command and Control Center had previously explained that the common symptoms of new Coronavirus infection are acute respiratory symptoms such as fever, cough, difficulties in breathing, and in more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia and acute respiratory syndrome.