Saudi Arabia's coronavirus cases top 50,000: ministry

FILE PHOTO - A Saudi volunteer wearing a protective face mask and gloves hands out Iftar meals provided by a charity organisation following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), during the holy month of Ramadan, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia May 10, 2020. REUTERS/Ahmed Yosri

The number of coronavirus cases in Saudi Arabia topped 50,000 on Saturday, the health ministry said.

A ministry official reported 2,840 new cases, taking the cumulative total to 51,980. That was up from an average of around 1,500 new cases a day over the past week.

The death toll in the kingdom increased by 10 to 302, the official said on state TV.

Saudi Arabia recorded its first COVID-19 infection on March 2, several weeks after the initial outbreak in Asia.

(Reporting by Maher Chmaytelli and Raya Jalabi; Editing by Andrew Heavens)