Mers coronavirus patient in Abu Dhabi ‘stable in hospital’

The patient, who has a history of kidney disease and just returned from a visit to Saudi Arabia, is in stable condition in hospital.

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ABU DHABI // A patient who tested positive for Mers coronavirus is stable in hospital, the Health Authority Abu Dhabi said yesterday.

The patient was admitted to hospital on April 16 with fever, cough and diarrhoea and was found positive for the virus.

The patient has kidney disease, had recently received dialysis and had just returned from Saudi Arabia, the state news agency Wam reported.

The authority also announced that two patients placed in isolation have tested negative for the virus and would be discharged soon.

“Five cases were confirmed positive through screening of contacts [and] were kept in isolation at hospitals as a precautionary measure,” the authority said.

“They were able to clear the virus within 10 days themselves without any treatment.”

Patients are being tested daily.

On Saturday, Wam announced 12 new cases of Mers were found during routine checks.

The next day, the World Health Organisation confirmed two news cases were reported in the UAE.

The Ministry of Health said it was monitoring the situation closely.

It reiterated that Mers was not a public health concern.

newsdesk@thenational.ae