Recoveries from COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia now higher than active cases

The Saudi Ministry of Health announced on Monday that the total number of recoveries from COVID-19 has surpassed the number of active cases.

Ministry spokesman Dr. Mohammed Al-Abd Al-Aly said the figures highlight the success of the precautionary and preventative measures taken by the authorities in the Kingdom to slow the spread of the disease.

An additional 3,026 people have recovered from COVID-19, taking the total number to 28,748. There are 28,277 active cases, 237 of which are described as critical. The active cases include 2,593 new confirmed infections, bringing the total in the country to 57,345.

“The number of recoveries has surpassed 50 percent (of the total number of cases) by a margin,” said Al-Aly. “Today, the number of recoveries is higher than the active cases.”

Of the new cases, 25 percent of the patients are women, 11 percent are children, 86 percent are adults below the age of 65, and 3 percent are over the age of 65. Forty-four percent of the patients are Saudi nationals, and the rest are expats.

Eight additional deaths have been reported, bringing the total to 320. The latest fatalities involved patients of a number of nationalities in Makkah, Jeddah, Madinah, Buraidah and Dammam. They were between the ages of 27 and 46. A further 15,549 lab tests have been carried out, increasing the total to 601,954.

Al-Aly said that the ministry’s Mawid app, which was updated to include a coronavirus self-assessment survey, has been used more than 1 million times, resulting in the early detection of more than 3,000 cases.

“It is a safety measure and it is bringing us closer to safety,” he said. “Those who have used it were reassured of their health or received expert advice. The early detection protected (the patients) and (ensured they) received the correct medical care.”

He added that the app had also helped to protect potentially tens of thousands of people who might have come in contact with the infected patients had the disease not been diagnosed early.

Meanwhile, Lt. Col. Talal Al-Shalhoub, a security spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, revealed that the 39 percent of all curfew violations to date happened in Riyadh region. The area with the next-highest total is Makkah, with 22 percent, followed by the Eastern Province with 8.5 percent.

Al-Shalhoub also revealed that there have been more than 2,300 house fires reported since the start of the lockdown.

To reduce the risk of fire or other accidents, he advised everyone to follow the advice of the General Directorate of Saudi Civil Defense. It launched a safety campaign on April 4, titled “Your home safety is our goal,” to alert families about the possible dangers they should be aware of while spending more time than usual together at home.