MERS strikes: 4 dead, 9 new cases surface

RIYADH: The MERS coronavirus has killed four persons and infected nine others, announced the Health Ministry on Thursday. One of the latest victims of the deadly disease is an 84-year-old expatriate who lived in Taif. The nine latest MERS infected patients, meanwhile, are all Saudi with the exception of a 30-year-old expat woman in Riyadh. Three new cases were diagnosed in Riyadh, three in Taif and one in Hafr Al-Batin. The deadly virus has killed 337 across the Kingdom since June 2012. A total of 435 patients have made a full recovery, while 17 are currently undergoing treatment in hospitals across the Kingdom, according to ministry reports. New cases have recently been diagnosed in several cities, including Taif, Madinah, Riyadh, Jeddah, Al-Jouf, Najran, Hofuf, Hafr Al-Batin and Jubail. - Arab News