Saudi refutes reports of Indian nurse getting infected by coronavirus

The Saudi Center for Disease Control and Prevention, an agency of the health ministry, denied earlier reports and said no cases of the novel coronavirus has been reported in the kingdom so far

India’s minister of state for external affairs V Muraleedharan had on Thursday confirmed that a nurse from Kerala employed in a hospital in Saudi Arabia has tested positive for the deadly coronavirus.  He also said she has been admitted to the Aseer National Hospital and is recovering well. 

The minister said the Sudi authorities have screened about 100 Indian nurses working aat the Al-Hayat hospital, following the threat of coronavirus, and all of them, except one, were tested negative for the virus.

"About 100 Indian nurses mostly from Kerala working at Al-Hayat hospital have been tested and none except one nurse was found infected by coronavirus. Affected nurse is being treated at Aseer National Hospital and is recovering well." Muraleedharan stated in a Twitter message.

He also said he was in touch with the Indian consulate in Jeddah to provide all possible support to the nurses quarantined at Al-Hayat hospital.

"Spoke to @CGIJeddah on Indian nurses quarantined at Al-Hayat Hospital, Khamis Mushait, Saudi Arabia due to Corona virus threat. They are in touch with hospital management and Saudi foreign Ministry. Have asked our Consulate to provide all possible support", he had tweeted.

The Kerala nurse who has tested positive is believed to have got the virus from a Filipino nurse, who was being looked after by her.

Saudia Arabia on Wednesday said it would start screening passengers arriving from China and take other preventive measures following the outbreak in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.

The virus, which can pass from person to person, has been reported in Thailand, Japan, South Korea and the United States, raising concerns about its lethality. China has so far reported over 630 confirmed cases of coronavirus infection.