RIYADH: Saudi Arabia confirmed one new COVID-19 related death on Sunday, raising the total number of fatalities to 8,862.
The Ministry of Health confirmed 104 new cases reported in the Kingdom in the previous 24 hours, meaning 550,842 people have now contracted the disease. Of the total number of cases, 33 remain in critical condition.
According to the ministry, the highest number of cases were recorded in the capital Riyadh with 36, followed by Jeddah with 20, Makkah with 11, Dammam and Hofuf confirmed seven cases each, and Madinah recorded five.
The health ministry also announced that 98 patients had recovered from COVID-19, bringing the total number of recoveries in the Kingdom to 540,079.
Over 48.3 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered since the Kingdom’s immunization campaign started. More than 22.9 million people have been fully vaccinated.
The ministry launched a campaign to encourage people to take the booster shot, as part of its series of awareness campaigns started at the beginning of the pandemic. It said the booster vaccine is currently the important factor to protect against COVID-19 complications and mutations.
The Ministry of Interior reported 1,792 violations in the past week, with the highest number of breaches recorded in Riyadh with 734, followed by Madinah with 466, Makkah with 345, and Al-Baha with 67. Asir region recorded the lowest number of violations with one.
The ministry called on citizens and residents to abide by the preventive protocols and the instructions issued by authorities.
Saudi municipalities have also ramped up efforts to monitor compliance with health and safety measures.
The municipality of Eastern Province carried out 8,718 inspection tours of commercial centers and facilities during the last week. Authorities recorded 512 violations and closed four businesses for not adhering to the precautionary measures.
Officials have also called on the public to report any suspected health breaches by phoning the 940 call center number or contacting authorities through the Balady app.
The coronavirus pandemic has affected over 274 million people globally and the death toll has reached around 5.36 million.
