Saudi Arabia on Tuesday approved two more COVID-19 vaccines for use by its citizens and residents as the Kingdom continues to see progress in battling the spread of the virus within its borders.
Coronavirus cases continued a downward trend, with roughly 400 new daily cases reported on Tuesday.
Saudi authorities have approved the distribution of the Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines, adding two more to the four currently approved: Oxford-AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech, Johnson & Johnson, and Moderna.
The approval of the additional vaccines comes as the Kingdom makes impressive gains against the spread of the Coronavirus. Continually lower new daily infections are a good sign for Saudi Arabia, as authorities have been proactive in providing carrots and sticks for its citizens and residents to get vaccinated.
The ministry of health reported 353 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, bringing the overall total to 542,707. There are 4,377 active cases, of which 1,108 are critical.
Recently, Saudi Arabia lifted a travel ban for expatriate residents from 20 countries imposed in February to curb the spread of COVID-19. Travelers who have received both vaccine doses while in Saudi Arabia will now be allowed to travel back to the Kingdom without quarantining, the Ministry of Interior said.
Last month, the Kingdom opened its borders again to vaccinated tourists.
Saudi Arabia is also taking proactive steps to protect children as a new school year approaches. The Ministry of Health said that “99 percent of students in various phases of public education in the age group between 12 and 18 years have received the first dose of vaccine against coronavirus and are waiting for the second dose shortly,” according to the Saudi Gazette.
