RIYADH — Saudi Arabia"s Ministry of Health on Thursday announced 1,402 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number in the Kingdom to 284,226. It also reported 35 new COVID-19-related deaths, taking the overall toll to 3,055. The number of patients who have recovered from coronavirus rose to 247,089 with 1,775 of them successfully beating the deadly disease over the past 24 hours. Speaking during the press conference, Dr. Muhammad Al-Abdel Ali, assistant minister of health and the ministry’s spokesman, said the number of critical cases in Saudi Arabia has dropped by 12 percent in the past two weeks. He said that things are looking promising as it seems that coronavirus is in retreat in the Kingdom. He added that we are currently reaping the benefits of implementing preventive measures. According to the spokesman, there is no scientific proof of a person getting infected with coronavirus twice. Lauding the role of citizens and residents, Dr. Ali said that the community members followed precautionary measures during Eid Al-Adha festivities. Of the latest cases, 249 were recorded in Makkah region, 243 in the Eastern Province, 203 in Riyadh, 199 in Asir and 128 in Qassim. There were 34,082 active cases, with most patients in a stable condition, and 1,992 critical. As of today, the Kingdom has conducted as many as 3,635,705 coronavirus tests, according Dr. Muhammad Al-Abdel Ali, assistant minister of health and the ministry’s spokesman.