Saudi Arabia saw this week the highest number of recoveries a day it has ever witnessed. The Ministry of Health announced that the total amount of recoveries on May 6th amounted to a record-breaking 1,352 coronavirus patients. This is another positive milestone since the outbreak erupted two months ago in KSA.
Along with this positive news, the ministry observed a surge in COVID-19 testing. These new spikes are the results of increased testing across the Kingdom which quickly spots early cases of the virus before they spread the pandemic disease. Here are the updated numbers as of May 7th:
Spokesperson of the Health Ministry: Total number of #COVID19-Infected cases in the Kingdom is 33731, including 25714 active cases and 145 critical cases. #SPAGOV
— SPAENG (@Spa_Eng) May 7, 2020
Spokesperson of the Health Ministry announces 10 deaths, bringing the total number to 219.#SPAGOV
— SPAENG (@Spa_Eng) May 7, 2020
The World Health Organization’s reference figure on the mortality rate from COVID-19 (3.4%) is ten times bigger than Saudi Arabia’s death rate, which stands at 0.7%, according to Health Minister Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah.
The Saudi health minister added that the global death rate from COVID-19 was ten times higher than that of KSA.https://t.co/W5POyVlxrh
— About Her (@AboutHerOFCL) May 7, 2020
Despite the increase in cases, efforts including strict lockdown measures, treatment protocols, testing en masse, and active screening, contributed to this low death rate.