A foreign worker living in Riyadh wears a mask covering his mouth and nose on a main street in the Saudi capital, in this April 29, 2014 file photo.

Two more people have succumbed to the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in Riyadh in the last two days and four patients, two of them from the capital, tested positive.

According to a report of the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Monday, the Riyadh patients are expatriate female health workers in their late twenties and the other two are Saudi males from Madinah and Quweiyah. The one in Madinah is in a critical condition.

Since June 2012, the total number of MERS cases in the Kingdom has reached 1,238, which included 523 deaths. The number of recoveries stands at 661 and 54 patients are currently being treated in various parts of the Kingdom.

Meanwhile, Assistant Deputy Minister of Health for Preventive Health, Dr. Abdullah Asiri, underlined the importance of adherence to the health guidelines to curb the spread of MERS and other respiratory diseases.

Guidelines include washing of hands with clean water and soap or disinfectant regularly, especially after coughing and sneezing; using handkerchiefs when coughing or sneezing and throwing them in a waste basket.

He said people must also avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth, as well as close contact with infected people. People should also not sharing the personal items of the patients; wear face masks at crowded places and stay away from camels.