RIYADH: Saudi Arabia confirmed seven new COVID-19 related deaths on Wednesday, raising the total number of fatalities to 8,552.
The Ministry of Health confirmed 185 new cases reported in the Kingdom in the previous 24 hours, meaning 544,634 people have now contracted the disease. 
Of the total number of cases, 2,931 remain active and 867 in critical condition.
According to the ministry, the highest number of cases were recorded in the capital Riyadh with 58, followed by Makkah with 34, the Eastern Province and Jazan recorded 15 cases each, and Madinah confirmed 12 cases.
The health ministry also announced that 301 patients had recovered from COVID-19, bringing the total number of recoveries in the Kingdom to 533,151.
Over 37.1 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine have been administered in the Kingdom to date through 587 centers.

The ministry renewed its call on the public to register with the Sehhaty app to receive the vaccine, and adhere to the measures and abide by instructions.
Municipalities in the Kingdom have shut down multiple commercial outlets as part of their efforts to monitor compliance with health and safety measures to stop the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
The municipality of Jeddah closed 22 facilities during 3,654 inspection tours carried out on Tuesday. Authorities also issued fines to 28 other businesses.
The Eastern Province Municipality recorded 85 violations during 1,508 monitoring rounds on Tuesdays.
Officials have urged the public to report any suspected health breaches by phoning the 940 call center number or contacting authorities through the Balady app.
The coronavirus pandemic has affected over 218 million people globally and the death toll has reached around 4.53 million.