RIYADH — Saudi Arabia started administering the second dose of vaccine against coronavirus for all age groups of people in the Kingdom from Sunday, July 11. "The second dose of the coronavirus vaccine is now available for all age groups targeted for vaccination by booking an appointment through the Sehhaty application," the Ministry of Health announced in a statement on its Twitter account. More than 19 million doses of the vaccine have been administered so far through over 587 vaccination centers in all regions of the Kingdom. In mid-April, the ministry announced the postponement of giving the second dose of the vaccine to those who had received the first dose in its bid to ensure the immune of the largest possible number of citizens and residents across the Kingdom by first dose vaccination. The ministry recently announced the availability of the second dose of the vaccine for those at the age of 60 or above in all parts of the Kingdom. Later, the vaccination campaign expanded to the administration of second dose to all those at the age of 50 and above. The ministry announced last Sunday that all the people in the Kingdom at the age of 40 and above on the basis of the Hijri date would now be able to receive their second dose of vaccine. It called on all the targeted beneficiaries in this category to receive the second jab by booking an appointment through the Sehhaty application. Minister of Health Tawfiq Al-Rabiah said last month that the ministry will start giving the second dose of the vaccine in the event of its availability in large quantities. He also stressed the keenness of the Kingdom's leadership to provide highly effective vaccines. The ministry confirmed recently that there have been no deaths reported among vaccinated individuals in Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) announced on Friday its approval for the import and use of the Moderna vaccine against coronavirus, after the Moderna company submitted a request in this regard. The Kingdom had earlier approved the use of Pfizer, Astrazeneca and the Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
