RAMALLAH, Friday, March 13, 2020 (WAFA) – Spokesman for the Palestinian government, Ibrahim Milhem, said today that the health of the 35 patients of novel COVID-19 (coronavirus) in Palestine remain in good health so far.

Speaking at a press conference in Ramallah, the occupied West Bank, Milhem said in addition to the 35 confirmed cases of COVID-19, another 35 samples are currently under laboratory examination, and whose results will be announced later in the upcoming night.

He said all future samples taken in the West Bank district of Bethlehem, the worse affected district in Palestine, will undergo medical examination in the same district rather than being sent to Ramallah, the home of the central laboratory of the Ministry of Health, which is to ensure faster results.

Milhem called upon the media to deal with the current crisis with utmost professionalism and transparency to avoid the propagation of rumors, which are often misleading.

"Global reports indicate that the death rate from coronavirus does not exceed 1%. Children are the most resilient to the virus, and no deaths have been recorded for any child yet," the government‘s spokesman reassured the Palestinian citizens during the conference.

Earlier today, Milhem announced that the number of cases in Palestine has reached 35 since March 5.

All of the 35 cases are in the Bethlehem district, except for one case in Tulkarm.

M.N