Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman launches COVID-19 vaccination in Kingdom

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received his first dose of COVID-19 vaccine as a part of the kingdom's inoculation plan on Friday, December 25. The crown prince's vaccination was broadcasted on Saudi Television networks and shows the monarch smiling as gets the jab. Later, Minister of Health Tawfiq Al-Rabiah thanked the crown prince for his "keenness and continuous follow-up to provide vaccines to citizens and residents."   

"Within the framework of Vision 2030, there is a policy of prevention is better than cure, which was represented by intensifying preventive measures, emphasising that human health is first, and providing safe and internationally approved vaccine in record time and providing it to citizens and residents. The kingdom is one of the best countries in the world facing the coronavirus pandemic," Al-Rabiah said.

Read: After UK Identifies New Strain Of COVID-19; Saudi, Turkey, Other Nations Impose Travel Ban

Read: India To Submit Bid For Hosting 2027 AFC Asian Cup; To Compete With Iran, Saudi & Qatar

500,000 people registered

Earlier this week, the kingdom announced that it received the first doses of Pfizer-BioNTech jabs. As per Arab News, over 500,000 people have already registered to take the vaccine shots. Saudi Arabia, which effectively banned international travel, has reported 361,903 cases and 6168 deaths as of now.

Saudi Arabia has suspended all international travel for a week as a measure to block the new virus strain from entering the Gulf Kingdom. Turkey and Israel have suspended flights from the UK and South Africa, where the new variant of COVID-19 has also been detected. 

After the discovery of a new, more severe type of COVID-19 strain in the United Kingdom, several nations have imposed travel bans as a precautionary measure to prevent the mutated virus from spreading. European nations including Germany, France, Ireland, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands have all halted flights to and from the UK, while Canada, Argentina, Chile, Colombia have suspended travel in order to control the spread of the virus. 

Read: Trump Admin Considers Immunity Request For Saudi Prince In Assassination Attempt: Report

Read: DAM Vs ABH Dream11 Prediction, Team, Top Picks, Saudi Professional League Match Preview

 Image Credits: AP