Abu Dhabi: Saudi Arabia has administered more than 22 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to its citizens and residents, the Ministry of Health announced on Saturday.
The total doses given to date was 22,014,448 doses, with over 587 inoculation centres being set up across the Kingdom to ensure everyone in the country has access to vaccines, according to the ministry.
That number is expected to increase more rapidly in the coming weeks following the health ministry’s announcement on Sunday that it will be administering the second dose of the approved coronavirus vaccines to all age groups.
In April, the Kingdom postponed all appointments for those who were waiting to receive their second dose as it focused on providing the first jab to those who had not been inoculated.
Saudi Arabia’s Food and Drugs Authority has approved the use of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine. In addition to the newly-approved jab, the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine, and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine have all been approved.
During the past 24 hours, 1,098 COVID-19 infections were recorded, bringing the tally to 508,521, while 1,207 cases recovered, bringing the total recoveries to 489,553.
The ministry also reported 10,905 active cases, including 1,386 critical ones.
The statistics showed 15 deaths were recorded, bringing the total number to 8,063.
The Health Ministry stressed the need to adhere to precautionary and preventive measures at family gatherings during the Eid Al Adha holiday, such as wearing masks, not shaking hands and leaving a safe distance to limit the spread of the coronavirus and protect the health and safety of all members of society.
