Rawan Radwan

JEDDAH: A field hospital has been set up in Makkah to combat the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in the area, as numbers continue to rise.

With a capacity of 100 beds, the aim is to provide assistance to help authorities quickly respond to cases as they appear.

Saudi Arabia has recorded 1,351 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number to 22,753 so far, of which 19,428 are active cases, with 123 in critical care. Around 17 percent of cases were Saudi nationals, and 83 percent were expats.

Health Ministry spokesman, Dr. Mohammed Al-Abd Al-Aly, announced 210 new recovered cases on Thursday, taking the total number of recoveries to 3,163, while 5 new deaths were been reported, raising the total to 162.

The latest losses were of two Saudis and 3 expats, with deaths reported in Riyadh and Jeddah.

Al-Aly mentioned that a little over 50 percent of all confirmed cases in the Kingdom were between the ages of 20-40.