RIYADH — Minister of Health Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah made an earnest appeal early Thursday, calling on citizens as well as expatriates to take vaccines against coronavirus. In a statement on his Twitter account, Al-Rabiah said: "More than 950 million coronavirus vaccines have been administered worldwide, and thank God the vaccine has demonstrated a high level of safety and efficacy." "More than 3 million people have died from the virus, and more than 100 million people are suffering from the effects of the disease," he added. "I sincerely advise that get vaccinated for your health and safety," the health minister urged. Authorities have assured many times that the vaccines all vaccines approved in the Kingdom are quite safe. On Tuesday, the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) again vouched for the safety and efficiency of vaccines approve in the Kingdom, while responding to certain reports about some side effects of one of the vaccines. "The cases of strokes reported among those who received Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine doses were very rare," it said in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency. The authority clarified that it has received 34 reports about side effects of thrombosis and low platelets associated with the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.
