Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Health (MoH) revealed on Wednesday that 150,000 people have registered in the first 24 hours for a three-phase Covid-19 vaccination programme.
After approving the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, thousands of Saudis have registered via the Sehaty app to take the Covid-19 innoculation, the official Saudi Press Agency said.
The ministry has previously announced that the vaccine is free for all citizens and residents, confirming the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine after successfully passing all testing stages with strong immune response and antibodies.
The ministry also announced that the vaccination will be carried out in three stages, with people aged over 65 as well as those with chronic ailments or at a high risk of infection in the first stage, and those aged over 50 in the second.
Everyone else will be vaccinated in the third stage.
The Gulf kingdom has a population of more than 34 million, according to official figures.
Last week, the kingdom approved the use of the vaccine developed by US pharmaceuticals giant Pfizer and its German partner BioNTec, becoming the second Gulf country after Bahrain to green-light the drug.
Britain, Canada and the United States have also approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and have already launched mass inoculation campaigns. Neighbouring Jordan green-lighted the drug late Monday.
Saudi Arabia has so far recorded more than 360,000 novel coronavirus cases, including more than 6,000 deaths – the highest in the Gulf. But the kingdom has also reported a high recovery rate.
On Monday, the UAE launched Covid-19 vaccinations in the capital Abu Dhabi, days after it approved the jab by Chinese drugs giant Sinopharm.
The nation was one of the first countries to start widespread inoculation, after Britain became the first to roll out a campaign using a vaccine by US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech.
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