DAMMAM — The Eastern Province registered last Monday the death of one of its health cadres, also marking the first expatriate doctor to have died in the region. The death of the Syrian doctor Muhammad Muslih Qatranji, 57, who was working as an internist in one of the private polyclinics in the Eastern Province, is the third case of death among the health staff in the Kingdom due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The death of the Syrian doctor follows the death of a Sudanese doctor in Riyadh city and a Pakistani doctor in Makkah. He contracted the COVID-19 infection during the Eid Al-Fitr holiday. He was admitted to one of the private hospitals in Al-Khobar for treatment. He spent 5 days in the hospital and died last Monday. He was not suffering from any chronic diseases. The Directorate of Health Affairs in the Eastern Province mourned the death of the Syrian doctor. The Directorate prayed to Allah Almighty to have mercy on his soul, make paradise his abode and grant patience and consolation to his family and relatives. The Directorate also conveyed the condolences of the Minister of Health Dr. Tawfiq Bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah to his family members. The Directorate supplicated to Allah Almighty to have mercy on his soul (and grant him forgiveness).