Flu cases down 98% from last year: Health minister

Flu cases in Saudi Arabia dropped by more than 98 percent in the past three months compared to the same period last year, due to the public’s adherence to preventive measures, said Health Minister Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah.

The Health Ministry is emphasizing the importance of receiving the flu vaccine as the Kingdom continues its fight against coronavirus, amid studies showing that the flu vaccine can help reduce the risk of getting COVID-19 and the severity of symptoms if infected. Saudi Arabia recorded 249 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, bringing the total number since the pandemic began to 357,872. There were 337 new recoveries, raising the total number to 347,513. The Kingdom’s recovery rate is at 97.1 percent. Of the new recoveries, 71 were in Riyadh, 19 in Jeddah, and 18 each in Arar and Hail.

Due to the high recovery rate, active cases have dropped to around 4,400, with 632 patients in critical care. Twelve deaths were recorded on Wednesday, raising the total to 5,919.

Health clinics set up by the ministry as testing hubs or treatment centers have helped hundreds of thousands of people around the Kingdom since the outbreak.

Among those testing hubs are Takkad (make sure) centers and Tetamman (rest assured) clinics. Takkad centers provide COVID-19 testing for those who show no or mild symptoms or believe they have come into contact with an infected individual, while the Tetamman clinics offer treatment and advice to those with virus symptoms, such as fever, loss of taste and smell, and breathing difficulties.