KSA: COVID-19 Recedes, Vaccine Distributed According to Priority

A woman holds a small bottle labeled with a "Vaccine COVID-19" sticker and a medical syringe in this illustration taken April 10, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
A woman holds a small bottle labeled with a "Vaccine COVID-19" sticker and a medical syringe in this illustration taken April 10, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
TT

KSA: COVID-19 Recedes, Vaccine Distributed According to Priority

A woman holds a small bottle labeled with a "Vaccine COVID-19" sticker and a medical syringe in this illustration taken April 10, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
A woman holds a small bottle labeled with a "Vaccine COVID-19" sticker and a medical syringe in this illustration taken April 10, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

The Saudi Ministry of Health said that all indicators pointed to a significant decline in COVID-19 cases and infections in the Kingdom, adding that the virus was receding with the commitment to the preventive measures.

Regarding the Pfizer vaccine, which was approved by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority, the ministry said that the priority would be given to the elderly and those suffering from chronic diseases.

In a news conference on Sunday, the spokesman for the Saudi Ministry of Health, Dr. Muhammad Al-Abdulaali, highlighted “a lot of good news in the reports related to the Coronavirus vaccines,” saying that the world “deals with this matter with great determination and hope.”

During the conference, Adel Al-Harf, vice president for drug sector at Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA), discussed the registration of the COVID-19 vaccines in the Kingdom, the approval criteria, and the side effects of the vaccines.

Saudi Arabia registered 139 new infections on Sunday, the ministry said, compared to 166 cases the day before. The ministry added that 202 new recoveries were recorded, bringing the total to 350,549 cases, and 12 new deaths, raising the total number of fatalities to 6,048.



Hajj Pilgrims Embark on Day of Tashreeq

Muslim pilgrims arrive to perform the symbolic stoning of the devil ritual as part of the Hajj pilgrimage in Mina, near Saudi Arabia's holy city of Makkah, on June 16, 2024. (AFP)
Muslim pilgrims arrive to perform the symbolic stoning of the devil ritual as part of the Hajj pilgrimage in Mina, near Saudi Arabia's holy city of Makkah, on June 16, 2024. (AFP)
TT

Hajj Pilgrims Embark on Day of Tashreeq

Muslim pilgrims arrive to perform the symbolic stoning of the devil ritual as part of the Hajj pilgrimage in Mina, near Saudi Arabia's holy city of Makkah, on June 16, 2024. (AFP)
Muslim pilgrims arrive to perform the symbolic stoning of the devil ritual as part of the Hajj pilgrimage in Mina, near Saudi Arabia's holy city of Makkah, on June 16, 2024. (AFP)

The Hajj pilgrims will embark on the day of Tashreeq on Monday, after arriving in Mina from Muzdalifah.

The pilgrims left Mount Arafat on Saturday evening to spend their night in Muzdalifah, where they collected pebbles to use in the symbolic stoning of pillars representing the devil.

The pilgrims performed the Tawaf al-Ifada at the Grand Mosque without incident due to the high level organization and crowd management.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz congratulated on Sunday Muslims on the occasion of Eid al-Adha.

In a tweet on the X platform, he asked God Almighty for security and stability to prevail in Arab and Islamic nations and for security and stability to be maintained in Saudi Arabia and among its people.

Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, received on Sunday on behalf of King Salman, princes, the Kingdom’s Grand Mufti, clerics, ministers, invitees from Gulf countries and leaders of military sectors on the occasion of Eid and the Hajj pilgrimage.

He congratulated the gatherers on the occasion of Eid, and praised the leaders of security and military sectors involved in the Hajj for their great efforts in service of the pilgrims that have ensured that they have a smooth spiritual journey.

The state and its concerned sectors will continue to provide all services that will help in serving the visitors of the two holy mosques, he added before the gatherers at Mina palace.

More than 1.83 million Muslims performed Hajj in 2024, Saudi Hajj and Umrah Minister Tawfiq bin Fawzan al-Rabiah said in a briefing.