New Coronavirus Kills 1 Tunisian, Death Toll In Saudi Arabia Reaches 16
The first Tunisian victim of the SARS-like coronavirus died on May 10, authorities told AFP, while another man in Saudi Arabia died Monday, bringing the total death toll worldwide to 20 and in the kingdom to 16.
The 66-year-old male from Tunisia visited Saudi Arabia where he and his two adult children contracted the virus, said the Tunisian Health Ministry.
The two family members are in good condition after treatment, according to Noureddine Achour, director of the National Observatory for New and Emerging Diseases, AFP reported.
Out of 40 worldwide, more than 30 cases of the new coronavirus have been reported from Saudi Arabia alone.
The kingdom is now planning a session with the World Health Organization (WHO) to discuss the recent cases. On Wednesday, the country also revealed a first-hand account of two cases that occurred in the hospital setting with health workers.
A previous case of a nurse in France, who contracted the infection in a hospital, is showing improvement.
The new mysterious form of SARS began in May when seven patients who contracted the virus died from an outbreak in the kingdom, according to WHO.
The novel coronavirus differs from the commonly known case of coronavirus, which is in the same family as severe acute respiratory syndrome. The new cases are more in alignment with a bat virus, which is related to viruses that cause the common cold and SARS. Researchers believe this new virus is being passed from animals to people, causing problems such as acute respiratory disease as well as kidney and heart failures. However, no concrete evidence has clued in on a specific species yet.