Saudi Arabia Sees 26% Increase in COVID-19 Infections in One Day... 'Explosive Surge' (Comprehensive)

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] The number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in Saudi Arabia surged by 26% in just one day compared to the previous day.

On the 20th (local time), the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health reported, "The number of COVID-19 confirmed cases increased by 70 in one day, bringing the total to 344," calculating the increase rate as 26% compared to the previous day.

Among them, 11 were nationals who tested positive at the airport after arriving from Morocco, India, Jordan, the Philippines, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Switzerland, and 58 were secondary or further infected cases. One was a medical staff member treating COVID-19 patients in the capital Riyadh.

Meanwhile, the neighboring UAE also reported its first death.

According to the UAE Ministry of Health, two COVID-19 patients died on the 21st (local time). This is the first COVID-19 death in the UAE and the second in the Gulf region following Bahrain (1 person).

The deceased were identified as nationals of an Arab country (78 years old) and an Asian country (58 years old). The Arab national had a history of traveling to Europe, and the Asian national was a UAE resident visa holder with underlying heart and kidney conditions.

As of midnight on the 20th, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the UAE stands at 140. The UAE government decided on the 19th at 0:00 to restrict entry of all foreigners for two weeks.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.