MERS Claims 53rd Victim in Kingdom; 1 Dies in Oman
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia announced another fatality from the MERS virus on Sunday, taking its toll to 53, as neighboring Oman recorded its first death from the respiratory disease.
The Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus had cost 64 lives worldwide by Nov. 4, according to the World Health Organization.
In the Gulf region, 53 MERS deaths have been recorded in the Kingdom, and two in Qatar, as well as the fatality announced Sunday by Muscat.
The 68-year-old Omani was “suffering from several chronic illnesses including diabetes, blood pressure, and heart failure,” the sultanate’s Health Ministry said in a statement.
“The main cause of death was failure in lung function,” it said.
Health authorities had announced the infection on Oct. 30 in what was the country’s only MERS case reported so far. The man had been receiving treatment in Nazwa. The ministry said that tests carried out on everyone who had been in contact with the victim returned negative results.
Arab News
