A new -like virus has killed two more people in Saudi Arabia, taking the number of deaths from the coronavirus that the kingdom has announced to seven in one week, the health ministry said.

“The health ministry has announced that three infections by the new coronavirus have been registered during the past days in Al-Ahsaa. Two of the victims have died while the third is in a stable condition,” state news agency SPA said late Sunday.

The outbreak has occurred in the oil-rich Red Sea region of Al-Ahsaa, which is near Bahrain and Qatar.

The latest deaths bring the number of people who have died after contracting the virus — first detected last year — to 18, of which 11 have been reported in Saudi Arabia. The SPA report on Sunday said the ministry “reassures everyone that the cases are still not widespread compared with other flu viruses,” adding there was “no reason to worry”.