Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health announced on Thursday that it has begun to reschedule the dates for administering the second dose of the coronavirus vaccine at all the four vaccine centers of Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, and Madinah.

The ministry attributed this to reasons beyond its control, due to the continued delay in the supply of the vaccine to the Kingdom and other countries of the world by the manufacturer.

The second dose can be had six weeks after the first dose, the ministry sources said while quoting the approved medical and scientific references. The ministry clarified that the Pfizer vaccine-manufacturing company has notified its commitment to resume the supply from the middle of February.

It is noteworthy that the ministry announced on Jan. 20 the rescheduling of coronavirus vaccine administration for those who have obtained the appointment for receiving the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine. The ministry attributed this to the manufacturer’s delay in supplying the vaccine to the Kingdom.

The ministry statement said that Pfizer company had delayed the supply of the vaccine to all countries, including Saudi Arabia, to where it is exporting the vaccine as the company is upgrading the production capacity.

The ministry added that it will continue to carry out the national campaign for vaccination and will open more centers in all regions of the Kingdom with the availability of the vaccine over the coming period.