New York (Web Desk): Several members of the Saudi royal family are infected with coronavirus, according to a New York Times report.
It is believed that as many as 150 Saudi royals have contracted the novel coronavirus, including members of its lesser branches, according to a person close to the family.
The Riyadh governor, who is a senior prince, is among the royals infected by the virus, and has been put into intensive care.
Several dozen other members of the royal family have also been sickened by the virus.
King Salman and Mohammed bin Salman have both gone into isolation to avoid the outbreak, reports added.
Doctors at the elite King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh that treats members of the royal family are preparing 500 more beds for an expected influx of patients.
“Directives are to be ready for VIPs from around the country,” the operators of the elite facility, the King Faisal Specialist Hospital, wrote in the alert, sent electronically Tuesday night to senior doctors.
The alert urged that all chronic patients must be moved out of the elite hospital as soon as possible, and all sick staff members be treated at a less elite hospital to “make room for the royals”, the Times reported.