RIYADH: Saudi Arabia confirmed 15 new COVID-19 related deaths on Wednesday, raising the total number of fatalities to 8,035.
The Ministry of Health confirmed 1,165 new cases reported in the Kingdom in the previous 24 hours, meaning 506,125 people have now contracted the disease.
Of the total number of cases, 11,172 remain active and 1,429 in critical condition.
According to the ministry, the highest number of cases were recorded in the capital Riyadh with 313, followed by Makkah with 265, the Eastern Province with 185, Asir recorded 122, and Madinah confirmed 56 cases.
The health ministry also announced that 907 patients had recovered from COVID-19, bringing the total number of recoveries in the Kingdom to 486,918.
#الصحة تعلن عن تسجيل (1165) حالة إصابة جديدة بفيروس كورونا (كوفيد-19)، وتسجيل (15) حالات وفيات رحمهم الله، وتسجيل (907) حالة تعافي ليصبح إجمالي عدد الحالات المتعافية (486,918) حالة ولله الحمد. pic.twitter.com/0dO448l4HE
— و ز ا ر ة ا لـ صـ حـ ة السعودية (@SaudiMOH) July 15, 2021
Of the newly recorded cases, 313 were in Riyadh, 265 in Makkah, 185 in the Eastern Province and 56 in Madinah.
In addition, the ministry said 907 more patients had recovered from the disease, increasing the total number of recoveries in the Kingdom to 486,918.
Saudi Arabia has so far conducted 23,420,405 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, with 105,607 carried out in the past 24 hours.
Testing hubs and treatment centers set up throughout the country have dealt with hundreds of thousands of people since the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.
Taakad (make sure) centers provide COVID-19 testing for those who show no or only mild symptoms or believe they have come into contact with an infected individual. Tetamman (rest assured) clinics offer treatment and advice to those with virus symptoms such as fever, loss of taste and smell, and breathing difficulties.
Appointments for both services can be made via the ministry’s Sehhaty app.
The ministry renewed its call on the public to register to receive the vaccine, and adhere to the measures and abide by instructions.
Safety violators arrested
Meanwhile, police in Tabuk said they arrested 15 people for flouting quarantine rules after they tested positive for COVID-19, while police in Qassim said they arrested 25 people for violating quarantine instructions.
Penalties for individuals who violate quarantine instructions include a fine of up to SR200,000 ($53,332) and/or up to two years imprisonment, and penalties are doubled for repeat offenders. If the violation was committed by an expat, they face deportation from the Kingdom and are permanently banned from reentry.
Spain has added Saudi Arabia to the list of safe countries to receive tourists from without medical certificates, PCR certificate or a recovery certificate. Insurance is not required, either.
The Saudi embassy said that this came into force on July 12. It said Saudis wishing to go to Spain need to fill out the Spanish Ministry of Health’s form through the SpTH application or the electronic portal.
The Kingdom is one of 11 countries declared a safe country according to the Spanish classification.
In 2020, the Wego Travel website ranked the Kingdom among the “safe places to travel during the COVID-19 pandemic, coming sixth in the world, the only country to be chosen from the Middle East.
