Saudi Arabia has confirmed that it has been successful in managing coronavirus disease (COVID-19), as 96 percent of its intensive care unit (ICU) beds allocated for the disease remain empty, Saudi Gazette reported.
Saudi Health Minister Tawfiq Al-Rabiah said that they were able to detect and manage the increasing number of cases due to massive testing.
READ ALSO: Hospitals in Saudi use plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients to treat active cases
He added in the report that the global death rate by the virus is ten times higher than the Kingdom’s—which stands only at 0.7 percent.
In a video message released on Saudi national news station Al-Ekhbariya, he said that there are still thousands of ICU beds and respirators that have not yet been put to use because of the low number of critical cases—adding that the mass testing help them treat patients early on before they get worse.
However, the Minister reminded everyone to remain cautious, especially those above 65, as they remain the most at risk from the virus.
SEE ALSO: Saudi Arabia reports 1687 new COVID-19 cases; total now at 31,938
