People are checked for symptoms in China. Image courtesy: Xinhua
No Coronavirus cases in Saudi, UAE; China toll 80
RIYADH, January 27, 2020
Saudi Arabia and the UAE have reported no cases of the new Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) so far and appropriate steps are being taken to protect the countries from the disease, senior officials have announced.
Meanwhile, the number of deaths from the flu-like virus in China's Hubei province, including Wuhan city, climbed from 56 to 76 overnight, health commission officials said, with four deaths elsewhere in China. While a small number of cases have been confirmed in more than 10 countries, no fatalities have been reported elsewhere.
The total number of confirmed cases in China rose about 30 per cent to 2,744, about half of which were in Hubei.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Monday visited Wuhan, the epicenter of an outbreak of a new coronavirus, as Beijing sought to signal how seriously it aims to respond to the developing crisis.
In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia's Health Minister Dr Tawfiq Al-Rabiah said no cases of infection with the new Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) have been recorded in the kingdom to date.
"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 the entry points to the kingdom, in addition to flights coming directly from China, as well as travellers coming from China through indirect flights, in coordination with the General Authority of Civil Aviation," he added in statements carried by the Saudi Press Agency.
The Minister pointed out that the transmission of the virus between humans is through respiratory droplets and no infection was detected from dealing with goods either.
UAE Minister of Health Abdul Rahman Bin Mohammed Al Owais also stressed that no case of Coronavirus infection was found in the UAE and that all necessary precautions have been taken to protect the country from the disease.
The minister made the statement during a meeting of the National Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management team, which he chaired, said a Wam news agency report.
Concerned officials from several authorities attended the meeting, which discussed in detail the steps taken to ensure that the UAE remained free from the attack of the virus and the resultant respiratory illness. The meeting also stressed the importance of full preparedness on the part of all the concerned entities to deal with any eventuality concerning the newly identified Coronavirus.
The UAE has raised the level of alertness in the country in order to deal with any development proactively and effectively at the border crossings, following a close assessment of the domestic and external situation, as well as in the wake of the preventive steps taken by China.
"The Health control centre personnel are inspecting all arrivals from China and measuring their vital signs," he added.
