Saudi begins registrations for free Covid-19 vaccination for citizens, residents

Saudi Arabia has started the registration for citizens and residents in the country to take the Covid-19 vaccine.

The kingdom’s Ministry of Health stressed the “safety and effectiveness” of the vaccine and confirmed that it is free for all citizens and residents, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

Last week, Saudi Arabia’s health authority approved the registration of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine in the kingdom. Health authorities in the kingdom can import and use the vaccine, the Saudi Food and Drug Authority said.

Read: Saudi approves registration of Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine

The vaccination process will be in three stages, the health ministry confirmed.

The first stage will extend to citizens and residents who are over 65 years old; professionals who are most vulnerable to infection; people who are obese and have a body mass of more than 40; and those who have immune deficiencies such as organ transplantation or take immunosuppressive drugs; those with a history of stroke; and those who have two or more of the following chronic diseases: asthma, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, chronic heart disease including coronary artery disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The second stage targets people who are over 50 years old; the rest of health practitioners; those who have obesity and have a body mass of between 30 – 40; and those who have one of the following chronic diseases: asthma, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, chronic heart diseases including coronary artery disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and active cancer.

In the last stage, the registration will extend to all citizens and residents who wish to take the vaccine.

The registration process can be completed through the ministry’s ‘Sehaty’ application via the link: http://onelink.to/yjc3nj.

سجل الآن عبر #تطبيق_صحتي لأخذ لقاح كورونا (كوفيد-19).
اللقاح آمن ويحميك وأحبابك من الإصابة بالفيروس -بإذن الله-

— و ز ا ر ة ا لـ صـ حـ ة السعودية (@SaudiMOH) December 15, 2020

Saudi Arabia reported 142 new confirmed Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, taking the total number of infections reported in the kingdom to 360,155.

Of the total number of cases, 3,093 are now active and 476 of the patients are in a critical condition, the health ministry said.

The kingdom also recorded 10 additional Covid-19 related deaths on Tuesday, with the overall death toll reaching 6,069.