Saudi prince 'dies of coronavirus'

One day after the death of a Saudi prince infected with coronavirus, a medical source revealed that some members of the royal family are undergoing treatment in hospital and in their private villas after their health deteriorated as a result of the virus.

Saudi Leaks reported Dr Nezar Bahabri confirming that more than 1,200 critical coronavirus infections cases are being treated in the kingdom with ventilators.

“The situation in Jeddah and Riyadh is very concerning. We did not expect the critical cases to reach this number,” said Bahabri in a video clip.

He added: “I was always an optimist and called for not worrying about the increase in numbers, but at that time, the number of critical cases did not exceed a few hundreds.”

Bahabri claims the case spike could be a product of increased social contact during the Eid Al-Fitr celebrations on 25 May. He says patients he monitors claim their symptoms started towards the end of Ramadan and the first days of Eid.

READ: Divorces rise by 30% in Saudi Arabia after quarantine uncovers polygamous husbands

Yesterday Reuters reported that the number of coronavirus infections in the oil-rich state had reached 100,000 with over 700 deaths.

A Saudi prince allegedly died due to COVID-19 on Thursday, with the Royal Court announcing the death of Prince Saud Bin Abdullah Bin Faisal Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, according to the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA). No mention was given regarding the cause of death.

The New York Times has previously reported that about 150 princes have contracted the disease, including the governor of Riyadh, Faisal Bin Bandar Bin Abdulaziz.

However, former Saudi intelligence chief, Turki Al-Faisal, said the real number of less than 20.