RIYADH — Dr. Muhammad Al-Abdel Ali, spokesman of the Ministry of Health, confirmed on Tuesday that all those who received the coronavirus vaccine are in good health. In a statement on the ministry's official Twitter account, the spokesman pointed out that all the citizens and expatriates who took the vaccine have not shown any unexpected symptoms. Al-Abdel Ali called on everyone to register for vaccination through the ministry's mobile application Sehhaty (My Health). He also urged that information related to the virus and vaccine shall be taken only from the ministry's official sources and not to believe in rumors. The ministry spokesman confirmed on Sunday that the vaccination process is proceeding smoothly, and there were no problems reported from those who received the first dose of the vaccine. In the daily press briefing, Al-Abdel Ali stated that the vaccine is available to all Saudis and expatriates free of charge but in the beginning there is a priority for some groups, including those over the age of 65 years and those with chronic diseases in addition to workers in occupations that expose them to a higher risk of infection, especially health workers. The registration to receive the vaccine is available to everyone through the Sehhaty app. As for those who are suffering from allergies, the spokesman explained that anyone who has a mild allergy can receive the vaccine, and for those who have chronic, severe and hypersensitive allergic symptoms, it is not recommended to take the vaccine. Commenting on a question about the mutated strain of coronavirus and its effect on the severity of the disease or the genetic developments of the coronavirus, Al-Abdel Ali explained that there are hundreds of variants that have occurred so far, adding that the studies and preliminary data have proven that they do neither prevent the efficacy of the vaccine, nor do they lead to an increase in the severity of the epidemic as well. It is noteworthy that Saudi Arabia has begun the largest vaccination campaign against COVID-19, with Minister of Health Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah becoming the first citizen to receive the vaccine on Dec. 17. The ministry announced on Dec. 15 the start of registration for the coronavirus vaccine for all citizens and expatriates in the Kingdom and that they can register, through the Sehhaty app in the link of http://onelink.to/yjc3nj.
