Saudi Arabia reports new coronavirus cases

Three more infections with the new coronavirus have been found in eastern Saudi Arabia, raising questions about whether some person-to-person spread of the virus has occurred there. The World Health Organization confirmed Friday that it had been informed of the three patients, one of whom was a relative of another patient who had been reported earlier in the week. The WHO said all three are in critical condition. On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia had told the WHO it had confirmed seven infections in the country, all of whom had been or were being treated in the same hospital in the Al-Hasaa region. By the time these cases were reported, five of the seven had died and the remaining two were critically ill. The three new cases bring the total in eastern Saudi Arabia to 10. While no additional details were initially available, the kingdom’s deputy health minister, Dr. Ziad Memish, provided information about all 10 on Friday via the Internet-based disease alert system, ProMED-Mail.

The original seven cases in this group all reportedly had “multiple comorbidities.” A comorbidity is a medical term for a disease or condition. The ages of the initial seven cases ranged from 24 to 94, though most were in their 50s.

Infectious diseases expert Michael Osterholm said a look at who became infected may provide clues to how they became infected, calling it striking to see so many people listed as having multiple comorbidities.

“I’d like to know what these comorbidities are. Because there’s something that’s telling us something there,” said Osterholm, who is the director of the Center for Infectious Diseases Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.

A pre-existing medical condition can make people more susceptible to becoming infected with another disease or make them more vulnerable to having a severe case if they contract an infection.