A Saudi woman gestures after she received the first dose of a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia December 17, 2020.
A Saudi woman gestures after she received the first dose of a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia December 17, 2020. Image Credit: Reuters

Cairo: The vaccine against COVID-19 will be made available in all areas of Saudi Arabia in three weeks’ time, Health Minister Tawfik Al Rabiah has said.

Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia launched its largest vaccinations against the highly contagious disease after receiving batches of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

Al Rabiah added that the kingdom has been keen to provide a safe and internationally authorised vaccine against COVID-19 in a record time. “What we see today is an extension of a major policy of Saudi Vision 2030, which is that prevention is better than cure and laying an emphasis on precautionary measures and human health,” he added, referring to an ambitious development scheme.

Registration for the vaccine against the COVID-19 is available for Saudis and expatriates in the kingdom through the smart app “Sehhaty” by visiting http://onelink.to/yjc3nj.

The Health Ministry expects the number of those registering to receive the vaccine will reach 1 million in the next three days, according to the Saudi news portal Ajel.

Saudi authorities have said the vaccine is provided for free for citizens and foreign residents.

Vaccination priority is given to those aged over 65, people at a high risk of infection due to their jobs, and those suffering from obesity, chronic diseases or immunity deficiency.