Saudi food authority is evaluating more vaccines

JEDDAH: The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) said it is evaluating many coronavirus vaccines being developed by various companies.

“There are many vaccines that are being examined. The most secure and efficient one will be picked up, which will be announced to the public once approved,” the SFDA said on Twitter.
The SFDA said it will ensure vaccine safety, quality, and efficiency by evaluating files through six different administrations in test six stages: Preclinical studies, clinical studies, quality, pharmacovigilance, inspection and sample analysis in vitro.
Meanwhile, more than 14,939 violations of precautionary and preventive measures against the pandemic were recorded in the last week.
The statistics, published by the Ministry of Interior, revealed that the Riyadh region registered the highest number of violations with 3,987, followed by Makkah with 3,145.
Saudi Arabia reported 11 new COVID-19-related deaths on Monday. The death toll now stands at 6,059.
There were 125 new cases reported in the Kingdom, meaning 360,013 people have now contracted the disease. There are 3,162 active cases, with 493 in critical condition.
According to the ministry, 46 of the newly recorded cases were in Riyadh, 31 in Makkah and 12 in Madinah.

In addition, 243 more patients have recovered from coronavirus, bringing the total number of recoveries in the Kingdom to 350,792.
Saudi Arabia has so far conducted 10,409,634 PCR tests, with 30,902 carried out in the past 24 hours.
Saudi health clinics set up by the ministry as testing hubs or treatment centers have helped hundreds of thousands of people around the Kingdom since the outbreak of the pandemic.
Among those testing hubs are Taakad (make sure) centers and Tetamman (rest assured) clinics.
Taakad centers provide COVID-19 testing for those who show no or mild symptoms or believe they have come into contact with an infected individual, while Tettamman clinics offer treatment and advice to those with virus symptoms, such as fever, loss of taste and smell and breathing difficulties.
Appointments to either services can be made through the ministry’s Sehaty app.