[ad_1]
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia began inoculating people with a COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday (December 17), becoming the first Arab country to implement the Pfizer-BioNTech jab.
Saudi Arabia received two shipments of the vaccine on Wednesday.
Earlier this week, health authorities asked citizens and residents to sign up to receive the vaccine, which they said would be free to everyone in the country.
The first Saudi national to prepare to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in the capital Riyadh as part of a vaccination campaign by the Saudi Ministry of Health. (Photo: AFP / Fayez Nureldine)
READ: Saudi Arabia will gradually resume the pilgrimage to umrah from October
The kingdom has reported around 360,000 coronavirus cases with 6,080 deaths since the start of the pandemic. Although it began lifting the restrictions several months ago, the country has so far avoided a new wave of infections.
Health Minister Tawfiq al-Rabiah was one of the first people to receive the vaccine, rolling up his sleeves to receive the vaccine in front of the media.
“Today marks the beginning of relief from this crisis,” Rabiah told reporters at a vaccination center with more than 550 vaccination stations in Riyadh.
“For the past nine months, I have been anxiously monitoring the number of cases registered,” he said. “But today, I will gladly monitor the number of people who get vaccinated.”
Vaccination stations will be established throughout the kingdom, he said.
READ: Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Sinovac: A Look at Three Key COVID-19 Vaccines
Saudi Arabia earlier this week asked citizens and residents to sign up for its vaccination program. The first phase will include the people most exposed to the disease. The second and third stages will be aimed at those over 50 years old before the vaccine is available to the general public.
Foreign citizens and residents lined up to receive the vaccine Thursday morning, as part of the phase 1 rollout, which includes those most exposed and vulnerable to the disease.
CHECK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments
Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram
