RIYADH: The Saudi Ministry of Health has launched the child vaccination e-certificate as an alternative to the paper certificate card, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Monday.
This initiative is part of the digital transformation within the health sector, facilitating health services for citizens and allowing them to keep track of critically-important vaccinations.
Parents can register their children’s vaccinations through the documentation clinic in health centers or self-register through the Sehhaty app so they can easily refer to it at any time.
The ministry created Sehhaty to provide health services to individuals in the Kingdom. The app allows users to access health information and obtain several health services offered by various authorities in the health sector.
Last month, the Ministry of Health urged citizens and residents to take the flu vaccine, saying that it is effective and safe and helps to reduce pressure on the nation’s hospitals and clinics.
Health Ministry spokesman Dr. Mohammed Al-Abd Al-Aly said that the most effective way to confront influenza is to take the vaccine.
Al-Aly said that the vaccine is 80 percent effective, which would help reduce the strain on the health system, particularly through reduced admissions to intensive care units. Booking can be done through the Sehhaty app, he added.
Al-Aly said that the Ministry of Health has seen an increase in influenza cases this season. He said the flu may cause severe complications that can lead to death.
He added that millions of people worldwide contract the flu every year, with many of the most vulnerable being hospitalized. Those most at risk include children under the age of five, pregnant women, the elderly, and people with chronic diseases such as diabetes, respiratory illnesses including asthma and heart disease.
Al-Aly urged members of the public to avoid crowded places, wash their hands thoroughly, not touch their eyes and mouths directly, use tissues when sneezing or coughing, and wear a mask.
He said people with the flu display various symptoms including shivering and sweating, a temperature of over 38 C, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, persistent cough, and runny nose.
