The increase came after a national review of hospital data from the time the virus emerged in 2012.The deputy health minister, who has been criticised for his handling of the crisis, was sacked on Monday.Cases of the virus, for which there is no known cure, have been confirmed in almost a dozen other countries.Saudi authorities said there had now been 688 confirmed Mers (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) infections in the kingdom. Before the revision the number of cases was believed to be 575.Saudi health ministry spokesman Tariq Madani said that despite the revised figures, fewer people were now contracting the disease."Though the review showed confirmed cases that needed to be added, we are still witnessing a decline in the number of newly registered cases in the past few weeks" he said.Deadly symptomsOf those infected, the country's health ministry said, 53 were still receiving treatment.Saudi Arabia has registered the largest number of infections of Mers.The virus is from the same family as the common cold, but can lead to kidney failure and pneumonia.What is Mers?Mers virusAcronym for Middle East Respiratory SyndromeA type of coronavirus which causes respiratory infectionsFirst death recorded in 2012 in Saudi ArabiaCamels are suspected to be the primary source of infection for humansCases have also been confirmed in Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, France, Germany, Italy, Tunisia, Egypt, the UK and, most recently, the US.Camels are suspected to be the main source of infection for humans. Saudi authorities have urged citizens to wear protective masks when dealing with the animals.The government's handling of the outbreak has been criticised, says the BBC's Arab affairs editor Sebastian Usher.Critics have accused it of rejecting outside scientific help that might have helped stem the spread of the virus, our correspondent says.On Monday, the day before the figures were revised, the Deputy Health Minister Ziad Memish was sacked without explanation.In April Saudi's King Abdullah sacked the health minister as the death toll climbed.(BBC)Bakudaily.az