Saudi Arabia Inaugurates 4th Vaccination Center in Madinah

A Saudi man gets a dose of a Covid-19 vaccine in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Dec. 17, 2020 (Reuters)
A Saudi man gets a dose of a Covid-19 vaccine in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Dec. 17, 2020 (Reuters)
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Saudi Arabia Inaugurates 4th Vaccination Center in Madinah

A Saudi man gets a dose of a Covid-19 vaccine in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Dec. 17, 2020 (Reuters)
A Saudi man gets a dose of a Covid-19 vaccine in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Dec. 17, 2020 (Reuters)

Saudi Arabia inaugurated on Sunday a fourth vaccination center in the Madinah region, while the relevant authorities in the country continued their campaigns to monitor the adherence to preventive measures against the spread of the Covid-19 virus.

The Saudi Ministry of Health said that the resumption of normal life depended on the achievement of social immunity, stressing that commitment to preventive measures and getting vaccinated “are our weapons to eradicate the virus.”

During a press conference, the ministry’s spokesman Mohammed Al-Abd Al-Aly noted that the lack of commitment to health precautions has led to an increase in the number of infections in countries around the world, indicating that the general situation in Saudi Arabia was reassuring.

The country registered on Sunday 146 recoveries, bringing the number of recovered cases to 356,687.

In parallel, the Ministry of Interior announced that it had recorded more than 20,000 violations for non-compliance with the procedures last week.

The ministry stressed that citizens and residents must continue to adhere to preventive measures and to the instructions issued by the relevant authorities in this regard.

Also on Sunday, the Covid-19 vaccination campaign was launched in Madinah after the inauguration of the fourth dedicated center in Saudi Arabia. Prince Faisal bin Salman, Governor of the region, and his deputy, Prince Saud bin Khalid Al-Faisal, received their first dose of the vaccine with the target group of citizens and residents.



Pilgrims in Saudi Arabia for Hajj Stream into Arafat

Muslim pilgrims pray at dawn on Saudi Arabia's Mount Arafat, also known as Jabal al-Rahma or Mount of Mercy, during the climax of the Hajj pilgrimage on June 5, 2025. (Photo by HAZEM BADER / AFP)
Muslim pilgrims pray at dawn on Saudi Arabia's Mount Arafat, also known as Jabal al-Rahma or Mount of Mercy, during the climax of the Hajj pilgrimage on June 5, 2025. (Photo by HAZEM BADER / AFP)
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Pilgrims in Saudi Arabia for Hajj Stream into Arafat

Muslim pilgrims pray at dawn on Saudi Arabia's Mount Arafat, also known as Jabal al-Rahma or Mount of Mercy, during the climax of the Hajj pilgrimage on June 5, 2025. (Photo by HAZEM BADER / AFP)
Muslim pilgrims pray at dawn on Saudi Arabia's Mount Arafat, also known as Jabal al-Rahma or Mount of Mercy, during the climax of the Hajj pilgrimage on June 5, 2025. (Photo by HAZEM BADER / AFP)

Around two million pilgrims are in Saudi Arabia for this year's Hajj, a government spokesperson said Wednesday.

Hajj is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, a religious obligation involving rituals and acts of worship that every Muslim must fulfil if they have the money and are physically able to do it.

Hajj Ministry spokesperson Ghassan Al-Nuwaimi provided an approximate number for foreigners at this year’s pilgrimage. He did not say how many domestic pilgrims were taking part. Last year, there were 1,611,310 pilgrims from outside the country.

On Wednesday, pilgrims streamed into Arafat, some making the journey on foot, carrying their luggage through temperatures nudging 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). Others carried the elderly.

People paused to sit on the ground to rest or eat before heading to their camps.

Mount Arafat, a rocky hill southeast of Makkah, holds immense significance in Islam. Arafat is mentioned in the Quran and it is where the Prophet Muhammad gave his last sermon on his final Hajj.

According to traditional sayings of the prophet, the Day of Arafat is the most sacred day of the year, when God draws near to the faithful and forgives their sins.

Pilgrims remain in Arafat, in prayer and reflection, from after midnight until after sunset. After sunset Thursday, pilgrims will go to the desert plain of Muzdalifah to collect pebbles, which they will use in a ritual.

Earlier in the week, Health Minister Fahad bin Abdulrahman Al-Jalajel told The Associated Press that 10,000 trees have been planted to provide more shade, there is increased hospital bed capacity, and the number of paramedics has tripled.