Saudi Arabia Receives COVID-19 Vaccine Shipments

Saudi Health Minister Tawfiq al-Rabiah asked citizens and residents to register to receive the vaccine
Saudi Health Minister Tawfiq al-Rabiah asked citizens and residents to register to receive the vaccine
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Saudi Arabia Receives COVID-19 Vaccine Shipments

Saudi Health Minister Tawfiq al-Rabiah asked citizens and residents to register to receive the vaccine
Saudi Health Minister Tawfiq al-Rabiah asked citizens and residents to register to receive the vaccine

Saudi Arabia received two shipments of COVID-19 vaccines on Wednesday and will begin distributing the shots in the next three days, Health Minister Tawfiq al-Rabiah said on Wednesday.

Rabiah asked citizens and residents to register to receive the vaccine and reiterated that it would be free to all in the country.

More than 150,000 people have already registered online.

Last week, Saudi health authorities registered the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for import and use in the country.

“The priority will be for those over the age of 65, as they are more vulnerable than others to severe infection and death, and those who have chronic diseases, hospital patients, and health practitioners as they deal with the infections,” Rabiah said at the 2021 Saudi Budget Forum.



Saudi Arabia Urges End to Israel’s Assault on Gaza, Holding it Accountable

Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, chairs the cabinet meeting in Riyadh. (SPA)
Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, chairs the cabinet meeting in Riyadh. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia Urges End to Israel’s Assault on Gaza, Holding it Accountable

Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, chairs the cabinet meeting in Riyadh. (SPA)
Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, chairs the cabinet meeting in Riyadh. (SPA)

The Saudi government stressed on Tuesday the importance of ending the Israeli assault on Gaza and activating international accountability mechanisms to hold Israel responsible for its actions.

It also underlined the need for delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza to ease the suffering of the Palestinian people.

Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, chaired the cabinet meeting that was held in Riyadh.

The government welcomed the outcomes of the ministerial meeting held in Madrid aimed at coordinating efforts on the situation in Gaza and steps to implement the two-state solution.

Crown Prince Mohammed briefed the cabinet on the message he received from Angola’s President Joao Manuel Goncalves Lourenco. He also briefed them on the separate meetings he held with Egypt’s Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and Chinese Premier Li Qiang during their visits to the Kingdom.

The cabinet highlighted the outcomes of the Fourth Meeting of the High-Level Saudi-Chinese Joint Committee, which it said embodied the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries. It emphasized the mutual interest in bolstering bilateral cooperation across various fields, including political, security, military, energy, trade, investment, financial, scientific, technical, cultural, and tourism sectors.

After the cabinet session, Minister of Media Salman bin Yousef Al-Dossary said the government praised the discussions held by Madbouly with senior Saudi officials during his visit.

The talks underscored the strength of the unique fraternal relations that bind Riyadh and Cairo and reflect a joint will to deepen cooperation in various fields.

The cabinet reviewed Saudi Arabia’s participation at international and regional meetings and its ongoing efforts to cooperate with countries and organizations across the globe to achieve regional security and stability.

The cabinet reviewed the Kingdom's speech at the 68th session of the General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency. It emphasized the ongoing implementation of the national nuclear energy project and the construction of the first nuclear power plant to achieve sustainable development in line with national requirements and international obligations.

Additionally, it highlighted Saudi Arabia’s plans to host an international conference on nuclear emergencies in cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency at the end of 2025, reflecting the Kingdom's commitment to preparing for nuclear and radiological emergencies and strengthening the capacity to address them.

The cabinet reiterated the Kingdom's emphasis, during the G20 meetings, on the importance of deepening international cooperation and joint efforts to achieve global food security and support the benefits of the space economy through adopting strategic transformations and providing sustainable solutions in these two areas.

The government reviewed the outcomes of the international conferences and events recently hosted by the Kingdom, which align with national visions and aspirations to strengthen the country's position and leadership in various fields while opening new horizons to boost its present and future role on the global stage.

Moreover, the cabinet praised the third Global AI Summit, which included the launch of initiatives and programs and signing of over 80 local and international agreements, which will help in boosting technological innovation and developing modern technologies that serve sustainable development goals and support the digital economy.

Furthermore, the ministers deemed the Kingdom's classification as a Tier 1—Role-modelling in the United Nations Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) 2024 as a reflection of its advanced position in relevant international indicators, along with a series of accomplishments and successes achieved over the past years at all levels.

The cabinet also reviewed the most prominent statistics related to the national economy, including the stability of inflation rates at 1.6% over the past three months and the 4.9% annual growth of non-oil activities in the second quarter of this year on an annual basis. It underlined the strength of the Kingdom's economy and the effectiveness of the procedures and measures taken to address global economic variables.