Abu Dhabi: Saudi Arabia has administered more than 40 million COVID-19 vaccine doses, according to the Health Ministry.
The ministry launched the first phase of receiving the vaccine on December 17 last year, while the second phase was launched on February 18, which witnessed the expansion of the vaccination process in all regions.
Earlier, the ministry said 96 COVID-19 infections were recorded in the past 24 hours, bringing the tally to 546,163.
The ministry added 46 new recoveries were recorded, bringing the total to 535,190.
It confirmed five new deaths were recorded, bringing the total to 8,633.
The ministry revealed that the number of active cases reached 2,340, of which 459 were critical.
This comes as Riyadh is hosting the inaugural Global Medical Biotechnology Summit, which aims to “push the boundaries of our existing thinking and practices towards a targeted and sustainable medical biotechnology enterprise in Saudi Arabia,” according to organisers.
The summit, which was inaugurated by Saudi Arabia’s Minister of National Guard Prince Abdullah bin Bandar, will also address challenges and opportunities that will impact the country, the region and the rest of the world.
It will last until Thursday, when the Riyadh Declaration for Biotechnology will be unveiled to make Saudi Arabia a gateway to thriving biotechnology.
