Riyadh: The kingdom of Saudi Arabia will provide COVID-19 vaccines at pharmacies across the country for free, Al-Arabiya reported on Wednesday, citing a statement from the country’s health ministry.
Saudi health minister Dr. Tawfiq al- Rabiah said that this move is a part of the Kingdom’s efforts to expand the ongoing inoculation campaign and facilitate better access to vaccine sites.
The Saudi food and drug administration is currently evaluating a number of COVID-19 vaccines, confirming readiness for the rapid expansion of the vaccination process in various regions of Saudi Arabia, which is proceeding at a high rate.
More than 100 vaccination centers have opened across the country since Saudi Arabia began the COVID-19 vaccination campaign on December 17, 2020, after the food and drug authority, approved the registration of the Pfizer – BioNTech vaccine.
The Ministry of Health indicated that the vaccines currently approved in Saudi Arabia or those currently being evaluated are licensed for use by those over the age of 16 or 18 years.
Several universities across the Kingdom are preparing to open COVID-19 vaccination centers for faculty members and their family members, as well as the general public, as part of efforts to support the Kingdom’s inoculation drive, the Saudi press agency reported last week.
The Ministry of Health allowed the submission of dates for the “second dose” of the “COVID-19” vaccine for those wishing to have their doses rescheduled through the “Sehaty” application, and directives were also directed to link the acceptance of participants in the Hajj season to receiving the vaccine against the Coronavirus that causes “COVID-19” disease.
The Ministry urged everyone to register for the vaccine, in order to preserve their health and safety and protect them from infection with the virus.
Saudi Arabia has so far reported 378,002 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 6,505 COVID-19 deaths.