Saudi reports 1,088 new cases, its highest ever daily increase

The Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia took to Twitter on April 19 to report a steep rise in new Covid-19 cases across the country.

Of the 1,088 newly diagnosed cases, the highest were recorded in Makkah (251), Jeddah (210), Dammam (190) and Madhinah (177).

The total number of those infected with the new strain of the virus across the country has now reached 9,362.

It also announced five additional fatalities, spiking the total number of Covid-19 related deaths to 97.

#الصحة⁩ تعلن عن تسجيل (1088) حالة إصابة جديدة بفيروس ⁧#كورونا⁩ الجديد (كوفيد19)، وتسجيل (5) حالات وفيات رحمهم الله، وتسجيل (69) حالة تعافي ليصبح مجموع الحالات المتعافية (1398) حالة ولله الحمد. pic.twitter.com/nqx4KtQtqk

— و ز ا ر ة ا لـ صـ حـ ة السعودية (@SaudiMOH) April 19, 2020

As many as 69 additional patients recovered from the pathogen, taking the total number of recoveries to 1,398.

Last week, Saudi Arabia extended the curfew – initially announced on March 23 and later stretched to a 24-hour curfew in several cities – until “further notice” due to the current rate at which the coronavirus is spreading across the kingdom.