DHAKA: Another three people have died in Saudi Arabia after contracting the Mers coronavirus, the health ministry said Sunday, bringing the kingdom’s total fatalities of the Sars-like virus to 47.

A Saudi man, aged 74, died in the western city of Medina after being in contact with an infected person, the ministry said on its website.

A 56-year-old foreigner, who worked in the health sector, also died in Medina, while another Saudi, aged 53, who suffered chronic diseases, died in Riyadh, the ministry added, reports The Straits Times.

The health authority also announced five new cases of infection of the coronavirus, including an 18-year-old Saudi man, and a three-year-old girl in Hafr al-Baten, in the northeast, who contracted the virus after being in contact with an infected person.

BDST: 1755 HRS, SEPT 08, 2013
RoR/RK