Saudi health ministry: Vaccines safe for children, will protect against delta variant

In a joint press conference on Sunday headed by the Ministry of Health (MoH) and Ministry of Interior spokespersons, health spokesperson Dr. Mohammed Al-Abd Al-Aly warned that though it is natural for viruses to mutate, the delta variant has become a “cause for concern.”

Despite the warning, studies have shown that vaccines are effective in protecting children from the dangerous variant, Al-Aly said.

The ministry received questions on the use of vaccines, and the spokesman confirmed the safety of jab distribution among children.

Al-Aly was asked: “Children have a strong immune system, and there has been no critical coronavirus cases among them. Why should they be vaccinated?”

He responded: “This piece of information is wrong. Yes, critical cases number less among children and the youth in general, including those 18 and under, even 12 and under. They are less susceptible to extreme complications than those in older categories, but it is not true at all that they are not exposed to critical cases.”

The spokesman confirmed that the new delta variant has affected children in different parts of the world. “Critical cases for children have been reported around the world, and the delta variant was registered in the younger category of patients,” he said.

Speaking at the same press conference, Ministry of Interior spokesman Lt. Col. Talal Al-Shalhoub warned that pilgrims attempting to gain access to the Grand Mosque in Makkah and other holy sites during the upcoming Hajj pilgrimage without a permit will be fined SR10,000 ($2,666) starting July 5 until July 23.

The number of active cases declined to 11,970, with critical cases also falling to 1,348, a decline of 16 from the previous day.

A further 1,389 new recoveries were recorded, bringing the total number of recoveries over the course of the pandemic to 472,939. The Kingdom’s recovery rate is holding steady at 96.9 percent.

Thirteen new COVID-19-related deaths were reported, raising the Kingdom’s death toll to 7,876.

The Kingdom has administered more than 18.4 million COVID-19 vaccines so far at a rate of 148,346 doses per day. Almost 53 percent of the Kingdom’s population has been inoculated with at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

More than 1.73 million people have received both doses so far as the Kingdom moves forward with second dose inoculations for people above the age of 40.

The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority-affiliated Tawakkalna app has announced the release of a new version that contains updated options, including a health passport program for easier travel.

The passport update includes information about the COVID-19 travel insurance policy, which has been approved by the Saudi Central Bank and Council of Cooperative Health Insurance. The health passport contains traveler information regarding immunization status, the date and result of the most recent PCR test, and the insurance policy and its validity.