• The Kingdom said 1,516 patients recovered in past 24 hours
• 9 mosques reopened in 4 regions after being sterilized after some people tested positive for COVID-19

Arab News

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia recorded 16 new COVID-19 related deaths on Saturday, raising the total number of fatalities to 7,963.

The Ministry of Health confirmed 1,177 new cases reported in the Kingdom in the previous 24 hours, meaning 500,083 people have now contracted the disease.

Of the total number of cases, 10,895 remain active and 1,395 in critical condition.

According to the ministry, the highest number of cases were recorded in the capital Riyadh with 305, followed by Makkah with 297, the Eastern Province with 178, Asir recorded 96, and Madinah confirmed 59 cases.

The health ministry also announced that 1,516 patients had recovered from COVID-19, bringing the total number of recoveries in the Kingdom to 481,225.

The ministry renewed its call on the public to register to receive the vaccine, and adhere to the measures and abide by instructions.

The Ministry of Islamic Affairs reopened nine mosques in four regions after temporarily evacuating and sterilizing them after some people tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the total number of mosques closed and reopened after being sterilized to 1,805 within 154 days.

The coronavirus pandemic has affected over 186 million people globally and the death toll has reached around 4.03 million.