New Delhi (NVI): Saudi Arabia today begun registration process of citizens and foreign residents for free vaccination against COVID-19 in the Gulf kingdom.
According to the Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Health, the registration for COVID-19 vaccine in the country will be submitted through “Sehaty” application, the country’s state agency reported.
The vaccine has passed all testing stages and contains a strong immune response against the deadly coronavirus, the health ministry said.
Moreover, the vaccination process will undergo three stages and each stage has target group, while the treatment is free for all citizens and residents, the Arab News reported.
In addition, the first stage targets the citizens and residents above 65 years, those who are most vulnerable to infection, health workers and those suffering from obesity, immunity deficiency and chronic diseases.
The second stage targets people over 50 years, health practitioners, and those who have one of the following chronic diseases like asthma, diabetes, chronic kidney disease among others.
Furthermore, the final stage targets all citizens and residents wanting to take the COVID vaccine.
The ministry also informed that, this step comes as a continuation of the efforts that the Kingdom has taken since the beginning of the pandemic, and in addressing the outbreak and preserving the health and safety of people.
Earlier on 10 December, the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) approved the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for use in the kingdom, after Pfizer submitted a request to approve registering the vaccine.
The kingdom has been reporting a steady decline in the daily number of COVID-19 cases for months, reaching as low as 125 on Monday. So far, the total COVID-19 cases surpassed 3,60,000 and death toll stands at 6,059 in Saudi Arabia.
-RJV
