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: People registering for receiving a vaccine against COVID-19 will be alerted about the jab appointments within 48 hours, the Health Ministry has said.

The applicants via a smartphone app are messaged about the vaccination appointments, it added.

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

There has been a high turnout for inoculation at the vaccination centres set up in Riyadh, Jeddah and the Eastern Province, according to the Saudi Health Ministry.

The vaccination in the kingdom started with a 550-clinic centre in Riyadh, followed by another comprising 84 clinics at the King Abdulaziz airport in Jeddah. A third 84-clinic centre has also been set up in the eastern city of Dhahran. The health ministry has said that similar facilities will be soon launched in other parts of the kingdom.

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.