Declaring victory over the coronavirus, Saudi Arabia announced the launch of its Covid-19 vaccination program, a week after approving Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE’s vaccine for its citizens.
Saudi Arabia recorded only 139 new cases of infection on Sunday, the first time the figure has been under 150 since the pandemic began to take hold in March. The Ministry of Health’s weekly confirmed COVID-19 case map shows that almost all of the Kingdom’s regions are in the “safe zone,” recording numbers below 50 throughout the past week and more, according to Arab News.
Saudi Arabia registered steady declines in Covid-19 cases and deaths over the previous few months.
The program will commence in three phases, with the first targeting people over 65 and those with chronic diseases and low immunity, Bloomberg reports, citing the SPA. The first phase will also include people most exposed to the disease, such as health workers. The second and third stages will target those over 50 before the vaccine is made available to the wider public.
The vaccine is considered safe, and evokes a strong immune response while producing antibodies continuously. Side effects of the vaccine are usually minor and temporary, such as post-injection site inflammation, a mild high temperature or headache. The Saudi Ministry of Health emphasized that any licensed vaccine will be tested strictly, undergoing multiple stages of testing before it is approved for use, and it is regularly re-evaluated.
Saudi Arabia has been one of the most effective globally at curbing the spread of the virus, slowly registering declines in cases and deaths over the past few months. Trust in government protocols and guidelines as well as tough decisions from authorities to prioritize health and safety over the economy has proven successful.
“We’re among the countries with noticeable control and decrease in cases,” ministry spokesman Dr. Mohammed Al-Abd Al-Aly said during a press conference on Sunday, according to Arab News.
“The Kingdom now has more control over the pandemic. This achievement is due to the community’s adherence to the measures put in place. It wouldn’t have been possible without coordination between the community and relevant authorities in the face of this pandemic to ensure everyone’s health and safety,” he said.
The first batch of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against the virus is due in the Kingdom in days, and Al-Aly urged everyone to come forward for inoculation even if they had recovered from COVID-19.
