The Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus has taken one more life in Saudi Arabia, taking the death toll due to the virus to 61 in the kingdom, a report said.

A statement by the Ministry of Health said an 81-year-old Saudi woman, who was chronically ill, died in a Riyadh hospital on Sunday, according to an Arab News report.

The woman was among 147 people who have been infected with the virus in the kingdom since the new coronavirus was discovered by scientists in September 2012, it said.

Health officials said most of the dead Mers victims in the kingdom have also been diagnosed to be suffering from other diseases, the report added.