Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — All consignments of coronavirus vaccines arriving in Saudi Arabia are being subjected to close scrutiny in order to ensure their safety and quality, said Minister of Health Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah on Thursday.

“The Kingdom is striving to receive sufficient quantities of vaccines so as to distribute them in all regions of the Kingdom,” he said while speaking in a TV interview after attending the launch of some health projects in the Northern Border region. Prince Faisal Bin Khaled Bin Sultan, the emir of the Northern Border Region, launched the projects.

Dr. Al-Rabiah recently said that the vaccination drive will begin in the cities of Makkah and Madinah within a few days and in all remaining regions of the Kingdom in the near future. He also launched the “Medical Passport” service via the Tawakkalna application with the objective of confirming that Saudis and expatriates have received all doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The minister has already received the required two doses of the vaccine and he was the first in the Kingdom to get the jab at the Riyadh vaccination center on Dec. 17.