ADEN (Reuters) – Yemen’s Saudi-backed government on Thursday reported the first cases of the novel coronavirus in the southern province of Al Dhalea, among 15 new infections that took the total in areas under its control to 85 with 12 deaths.
The Aden-based government’s coronavirus committee said in a Twitter post that Al Dhalea, the ninth province to record cases, had its first three infections.
The war-ravaged country is divided between the Saudi-backed government based in the south and the Iran-aligned Houthi movement that controls the capital Sanaa and most large urban centres. Houthi authorities have reported only two cases with one death, both in Sanaa.
Reporting by Mohammed Ghobari; Writing by Ghaida Ghantous; Editing by Alison Williams