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RIYADH: Education administrations across Saudi Arabia began their awareness campaign to vaccinate students aged 12 to 18 years with the coronavirus vaccine.
The Ministry of Education said it plans to vaccinate 2,726,516 students through vaccination centers approved by the Ministry of Health before the start of the academic year, in preparation for the safe return of students schools. The move is part of directives from the Saudi leadership to preserve public health.
The Ministry of Education called on its employees, educational, administrative and supervisory staff, and students in all specified age groups to quickly get the vaccine, in the interest of their health and safety, and to contribute to the return to normal life, as well as to ensure regularity of the educational process for the next academic year.
The ministry said it has witnessed great interaction and interest from parents and families to take the initiative and vaccinate their children. The health departments in Jazan and Qassim announced that they have begun providing the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine for children aged 12 to 18.
The Kingdom recorded 16 new COVID-19 related deaths on Friday, raising the total number of fatalities to 7,848.
The Ministry of Health confirmed 1,338 new cases reported in the Kingdom in the previous 24 hours, meaning 490,464 people have now contracted the disease.
Of the total number of cases, 12,288 remain active and 1,374 in critical condition.
According to the ministry, the highest number of cases were recorded in the Eastern Province with 327, followed by the capital Riyadh with 279, Makkah with 208, Asir recorded 127, and Qassim confirmed 115 cases.
The health ministry also announced that 1,208 patients had recovered from COVID-19, bringing the total number of recoveries in the Kingdom to 470,328.
The Ministry of Health said that results in the Kingdom showed that 99 percent of inpatients infected with coronavirus in critical care have not received the vaccine during the period from Dec. 28 to June 7.
The ministry renewed its call on the public to register to receive the vaccine, and adhere to the measures and abide by instructions.
The health department in Jazan said 37 centers have been allocated to provide coronavirus vaccines for those wishing to perform Hajj this year in all its governorates.
The health department said among the services provided to pilgrims include meningitis and seasonal influenza vaccines to be taken on the same day, two or more days before or after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine for those wishing to perform Hajj and health practitioners working to provide services to pilgrims.
Meanwhile, police in Tabuk said they arrested 23 people for flouting quarantine rules after they tested positive for COVID-19, while police in Hail said they arrested five people for violating quarantine instructions.
Penalties for individuals who violate quarantine instructions include a fine of up to SR200,000 ($53,332) and/or up to two years imprisonment, and penalties are doubled for repeat offenders. If the violation was committed by an expat, they face deportation from the Kingdom and are permanently banned from reentry.
The Ministry of Islamic Affairs reopened 22 mosques in seven regions after temporarily evacuating and sterilizing them after 22 people tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the total number of mosques closed and reopened after being sterilized to 1,483 within 117 days.
The coronavirus pandemic has affected over 183 million people globally and the death toll has reached around 3.97 million.
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