Saudi vaccination centers witness ‘great turnout’

JEDDAH: Coronavirus vaccination centers in Riyadh, Jeddah and the Eastern Province are witnessing a “great turnout” of Saudis and expats who have registered to receive the vaccine, the Saudi Ministry of Health said on Tuesday.
The centers are fully equipped and supported by medical and technical personnel. Other vaccination centers will soon be launched in all regions of the Kingdom.
Saudi Arabia on Tuesday reported eight new virus-related deaths. The death toll now stands at 6,204.
There were 149 new cases reported in the Kingdom, meaning 362,488 people have now contracted the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). There are 2,772 active cases, 401 of which are in critical condition.
According to the Health Ministry, 46 of the newly recorded cases were in Riyadh, 31 in Makkah and 10 in Madinah.
In addition, 159 more patients have recovered from coronavirus, bringing the total number of recoveries in the Kingdom to 353,512.
Saudi Arabia has so far conducted 10,937,706 PCR tests, with 34,677 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 across 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 service can be made through the health ministry’s Sehaty app.
Meanwhile, Asir’s specialized regional laboratory for biomolecule examination has tested 270,000 samples of coronavirus in Asir, Bisha, Najran, Jazan and Qunfudhah.