Okaz/Saudi Gazette

RIYADH — Dr. Muhammad Al-Abdel Ali, spokesman of the Ministry of Health, said that vaccines are effective against Delta variant that spreads faster. Addressing the daily press briefing on Sunday, the spokesman said that young people are vulnerable to infection with coronavirus and its variants.

“We are witnessing a fluctuation in the registration of daily cases of the COVID-19 cases, and this calls us to continue to be cautious and follow precautionary measures. The immunity begins to be formed since receiving the first dose, and the second dose is considered as an activator for it,” he said.

Al-Abdel Ali pointed out that studies have proven the effectiveness of the vaccine for those between the ages of 12 and 18 years.

“There are some side effects from receiving any vaccine, whether coronavirus vaccine or others. The symptoms resulting from the coronavirus vaccine are rare and have not been proven to be related to the vaccine,” he said while noting that constant monitoring is being carried out.

The spokesman said the total number of administered doses of coronavirus vaccines reached 18,326,022 through more than 587 vaccine centers across the Kingdom. The total number of people recovered in the Kingdom reached 472,939 while the number of deaths reached 7876.

Attending the press conference, Col. Talal Al-Shalhoub, spokesman of the Ministry of Interior, said that despite the developments that worry the countries of the world, the Saudi government is still proactive in taking all preventive measures that help protect the homeland and its people from the pandemic.

He said that during the past week, concerned authorities registered a total of 20,213 violations of the precautionary measures and preventive protocols against coronavirus. The Riyadh region was the first with the number of violations, followed by the Eastern Province, and Makkah region.

These include violations related to social gatherings, medical isolation and quarantine after it was confirmed that they were infected with coronavirus, in addition to violations of institutional quarantine of those coming from abroad. The spokesman said that penalties prescribed by law have been applied against the violators.

Al-Shalhoub said that anyone who is caught trying to enter the Grand Mosque and the central area in Makkah and the holy sites of Mina, Muzdalifah and Arafat without a permit will be slapped with a fine, amounting to 10,000, and the penalty will be doubled in the event of the violation being repeated.

This will be during the current Hajj season starting from July 5 to July 23 (Dhul Qada 25 - Dhul Hijjah 13).