More than 2.6 million take COVID-19 vaccine jab in Saudi Arabia

RIYADH/JEDDAH: The Saudi Ministry of Health said more than 2.6 million people have taken a coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine jab at one of the 500 vaccine centers across the Kingdom.

The ministry encourages those who would like to take the vaccine to register through the ministry’s Sehhaty application and select a time slot.

On Thursday, the ministry reported 381 new cases, raising the total number of infections in the Kingdom over the course of the pandemic to 383,880.

Riyadh recorded the highest case count with 157 cases, followed by the Eastern Province (74), Makkah (58) and Madinah (11).

There are now 3,688 active cases, 564 of which are in critical care.

On Thursday, 240 new recoveries were also reported, raising the total number of recoveries in the Kingdom to 373,601.

Six new coronavirus-related deaths were reported, raising the national death toll to 6,591.

Saudi Arabia has so far conducted 14.5 million PCR tests, with 47,139 carried out in the past 24 hours.

Health clinics in the Kingdom, set up by the ministry as testing hubs or treatment centers, have dealt with hundreds of thousands of people throughout the country since the outbreak of the pandemic.

Among the testing hubs, Taakad (make sure) centers provide COVID-19 tests for those who show no or only mild symptoms or believe they have come into contact with an infected individual.

Tetamman (rest-assured) clinics offer treatment and advice to those with virus symptoms, such as fever, loss of taste and smell, and breathing difficulties.

Appointments to either service can be made through the Sehhaty app.

Meanwhile, the ministry denied rumors circulating on social media about a citizen who allegedly died at Taif Hospital after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine. 

“We inform you that no deaths or severe complications were detected after receiving COVID-19 vaccines,” the ministry said in response to an inquiry on Twitter.

The ministry followed up by publishing an educational video about the vaccines and urged Saudis to refrain from sharing “medical lies” online. 

“We confirm the pursuit of maximum protection, and fewer side effects, to reach an ‘immune’ situation,” Dr. Abdullah Mufarrih Assiri, the assistant deputy minister for preventive medicine, wrote on Twitter.

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