Saudi Arabia reports 10 more deaths from MERS virus, 20 other cases

Handout transmission electron micrograph shows the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirusSaudi Arabia said that 10 more people infected with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) had died over the last two days and identified 20 new cases of the virus, pushing the total number of infections in the country to 511. They took the death toll in Saudi Arabia to 157 since MERS, a coronavirus like Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), was identified two years ago. The World Health Organisation said on Wednesday that while concern about the virus had \"significantly increased\", the disease was not yet a global health emergency. The rate of infection in Saudi Arabia has surged in recent weeks after big outbreaks associated with hospitals in Jeddah and Riyadh.