RIYADH: Saudi Arabia recorded nine new COVID-19 related deaths on Thursday, raising the total number of fatalities to 6,728. The Ministry of Health confirmed 902 new confirmed cases reported in the Kingdom in the previous 24 hours, meaning 395,854 people have now contracted the disease.  Of the total number of cases, 7,468 remain active and 874 in critical condition. According to the ministry, the highest number of cases were recorded in the capital Riyadh with 402, followed by Makkah with 163, the Eastern Province with 155, Asir recorded 36 and Madinah confirmed 26 cases. The ministry also announced that 469 patients had recovered from COVID-19, bringing the total number of recoveries in the Kingdom to 381,658. #الصحة ⁩ تعلن عن تسجيل (902) حالة إصابة جديدة بفيروس كورونا (كوفيد-19)، وتسجيل (9) حالات وفيات رحمهم الله، وتسجيل (469) حالة تعافي ليصبح إجمالي عدد الحالات المتعافية (381,658) حالة ولله الحمد. pic.twitter.com/KI9a0jKXaA — و ز ا ر ة ا لـ صـ حـ ة السعودية (@SaudiMOH) April 8, 2021 The ministry renewed its call on the public to register to receive the jab, and adhere to the measures and abide by instructions. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Islamic Affairs temporarily closed 17 mosques in seven regions on Thursday after some worshipers tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of mosques closed to 519 within 60 days, 490 of which have been reopened after being sterilized. The coronavirus pandemic has affected over 133 million people globally and the death toll has reached around 2.89 million.