Deema Al-Khudair

JEDDAH: The Ministry of Health (MOH) launched an awareness campaign with the slogan “We fear for your health, don’t be the #TheNextNumber,” to urge community members to adhere to the instructions issued by the MOH to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on Saturday.

The MOH announced that it would be releasing its daily bulletin with empty slots where the daily confirmed counts (recoveries and deaths as well as confirmed cases per city) would normally be, and would instead replace each with the slogan to ask members of the community to stay aware, take precautionary measures and protect themselves.

The campaign is part of a continued effort to raise awareness and educate the community on the importance of combating the pandemic to preserve health and safety.

For more information about the daily COVID-19 cases in the Kingdom, visit https://covid19awareness.sa

Abdul Aziz Al-Kinani, an infectious diseases specialist and attending resident at the King Abdul Aziz Airport health facility, said the campaign was coming at the right time.

“The campaign launched by the ministry is an amazing initiative, and I believe it came at the right time, in light of the increasing number (of cases), in order to eliminate fear from people’s minds,” Al-Kinani told Arab News.

He added that focusing on daily numbers increases fear, dividing people into two categories; those who will take matters seriously, and those who will not, believing that they are safe from getting infected and that the numbers reported are exaggerated, placing them in danger of getting infected and infecting others.

“I fully support this campaign and the instructions given by the Ministry of Health, lead by Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah. This campaign will definitely help people focus on the instructions and preventative measures,” he added.

Saudi Arabia recorded 39 new fatalities on Saturday, the highest daily count since the beginning of the pandemic, raising the death toll in the Kingdom to 932.

The 3,366 newly confirmed cases raised the total count to 123,308 cases so far. There are currently 39,828 active cases; 23 patients have been admitted into intensive care units (ICUs) in a critical condition, bringing the total number in ICUs across the country to 1,843.

Riyadh recorded the highest number of recorded new cases in the Kingdom, with 1,089 cases. Jeddah recorded 527 and Makkah 310.

The MOH announced 1,519 new full recoveries, taking the number of recovered cases in the Kingdom to 82,548 cases.

Meanwhile, the General Directorate of Health Affairs in Makkah launched 7 “Tatamman Clinics” designated for conducting COVID-19 screenings.

The clinics aim to provide medical care early to patients and contribute to reducing referrals to major hospitals significantly. The clinics will operate around the clock to receive any person with symptoms of COVID-19, such as a high temperature, shortness of breath and coughing. Individuals suspected of infection or suffering from symptoms don’t require prior appointments to reach the clinics.