KSA reports first case of coronavirus

RIYADH/BRUSSELS/MOSCOW/ISLAMABAD: Saudi Arabia on Monday confirmed its first case of coronavirus, the country's health ministry confirmed, according to the state news agency.

The ministry said the patient was a Saudi man who returned from Iran to the Kingdom via Bahrain. It added that the man had not revealed his travel history. An infection control team was sent to check on the man and test results of a sample taken from him confirmed that he was infected with COVID-19. He was subsequently shifted to an isolation facility at a local hospital where he was being treated, reported Geo News Monday.

The Kingdom’s Center for Disease Prevention and Control also obtained samples from all the people who had contacted the infected man.

The Kingdom had prepared 25 hospitals beforehand to handle any coronavirus cases, the ministry's spokesperson, Mohammed Abdelali, had said a day earlier, as part of the precautionary measures that included closing its borders to foreign Umrah pilgrims.

Meanwhile, the death toll from the new coronavirus epidemic surpassed 3,000 on Monday as more people died in China, Iran and the US and Europe raised its state of alert. The virus has now infected more than 89,000, spread to over 60 countries and threatens to cause a global economic slowdown -- after first emerging in China late last year.

With fears of a pandemic on the rise, the World Health Organization urged all countries to stock up on critical care ventilators to treat patients with severe symptoms.

In Brussels, EU president Ursula von der Leyen said the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) had increased its risk assessment for Europeans after Italy´s outbreak doubled in 48 hours.

The virus has raised fears for the world economy, with the OECD lowering its global growth forecast by half a point to 2.4 percent, the worst performance since the 2008 crisis. China´s economy has ground to a halt with large swathes of the country under quarantine or measures to restrict travel. Takings at Macau casinos fell a record 88 percent in February.

Other countries have started to enact their own draconian containment measures, including banning arrivals from virus-hit nations, locking down towns, urging citizens to stay home and suspending major events such as football matches and trade fairs.

China reported 42 more deaths on Monday -- all in central Hubei province. The pathogen is believed to have originated in a market that sold wild animals in Hubei´s capital, Wuhan. The death toll in China alone rose to 2,912, but it is also surging abroad.

The WHO says the virus appears to particularly hit those over the age of 60 and people already weakened by other illness. It has a mortality rate of between two and five percent. Iran reported 12 more deaths on Monday, raising the country´s toll to 66, the second biggest after China.

South Korea, the biggest nest of infections outside China, reported nearly 500 new cases on Monday, raising its total past 4,000. Half of South Korea´s cases are linked to a sect whose leader apologised Monday for the spread of the disease.

A second person died in the northwestern US state of Washington as President Donald Trump, who has downplayed the risk of a major outbreak, faced criticism over his administration´s preparedness.

In Italy, Europe´s hardest-hit country, infections nearly doubled to around 1,700 cases over the weekend.

Meanwhile, Russian authorities on Monday confirmed the first case of coronavirus in Moscow, saying the patient had recently returned from Italy.

The anti-coronavirus task force said in a statement quoted by Russian news agencies that the "young man" had fallen ill on February 21 while on vacation to Italy. The man, who resides outside Moscow, returned to Russia on February 23, and started showing signs of a respiratory viral infection, it said. He sought medical help and was hospitalised on February 27. Testing confirmed the infection on Monday and his symptoms were not severe, the statement said.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Special Assistant to Health Dr Zafar Mirza has declared satisfactory condition of four corona virus patients in country. He said all the four patient of corona virus condition is better now and they will recover very soon while there is no need of mask for everyone in Pakistan.

Dr Zafar Mirza said about present Pakistani student in china that 6 corona virus infected students have been recovered and they were discharged while one Pakistani is under treatment and he will recover very soon and will be discharged.