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First coronavirus case in Saudi Arabia: Ministry of Health confirms

SkyNews quotes Saudi Ministry of Health reports

Last updated: March 02, 2020 | 23:10

1 MIN READ

Planes preparing for take off at Riyadh King Khalid Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Riyadh airport is home port for Saudi Arabian Airlines. SHUTTERSTOCK

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Saudi Arabia has reported the first case of coronavirus, the Saudi health ministry announced on Monday.

The Kingdom revealed that the infected case is a citizen who came from Iran via Bahrain, according to the official news agency.

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Earlier on Sunday, the Saudi health ministry spokesman Mohammed Abdelali said the Kingdom has 2,200 hospital beds dedicated for quarantine cases, according to the Saudi Press Agency.

The spokesperson said 25 hospitals have been prepared to handle any coronavirus cases that might be detected in the kingdom, as part of precautionary measures which include closing its borders to foreign "umrah" pilgrims.