MOH spokesman, Dr. Muhammad Al-Abdulaali, said that the world is witnessing the highest rate of daily cases of coronavirus since the pandemic began, with the reporting of more than one million cases in a day. The Kingdom is also witnessing a remarkable increase in the number of recorded cases during this period and this rise is linked to the wave of mutated Omicron variant. “We continue giving vaccines and expanding vaccination rate as we have started vaccination of children over 5 years of age, especially those who have been given priority based on their health conditions”, he added.
He assured parents that clinical studies have confirmed the safety of vaccines for children, pointing out that the fallacies being circulated by some people that Coronavirus does not infect children are untrue, the virus infects children and spreads among them.
Al-Abdulaali said that the Omicron variant, which is classified as worrisome, has been detected in nearly 115 countries around the world and is gradually increasing and has become prevalent in many countries.
“The vaccine is safe and effective for children and has already been administered to more than 5 million children around the world without any unexpected side effects. Children are likely to be infected with coronavirus as adults,” he said.
The spokesman confirmed that the boosting dose is mandatory to enhance immunity and confront mutants, as well as to reduce severe symptoms in case of infection and to avoid hospitalization. The Kingdom is ranked among the safest countries to travel to since the outset of the pandemic”. The Kingdom has so fa administered 49 million doses of vaccine and 23 million people have completed their immunization, he added.
Al-Abdulaali revealed that 389 new COVID-19 cases were reported in the Kingdom, bringing the total to 552,795. These include 3,056 active cases and 33 critical cases.
The MOH spokesman made this statement in the COVID-19 briefing held on Sunday, with the participation of the spokesman of the Ministry of Commerce (MOC), Abdul-Rahman Al-Hussein. Al-Abdulaali mentioned that 124 COVID-19 recoveries were reported, bringing the total number of recoveries to 540,868 to date. And one new death was reported, bringing the total number to 8,871.
For his part, Al-Hussein stated that in the past access to commercial establishments required showing the health status in the Tawakkalna application but now requires scanning a barcode by each shopper, and each establishment must assign monitors to ensure shoppers scan the barcode before entering. He pointed out that all retail businesses have to continue the standard method of checking the Tawakkalna app and not giving access to those who have not been fully vaccinated.
He pointed out that a number of negligence cases were monitored by the Ministry of Commerce’s inspection teams during their visits to commercial centers, including negligence in verifying immunization on the Tawakkalna app, negligence in permitting those who are not wearing face masks inside the facility, and negligence in committing to disinfecting shopping carts and surfaces. He stressed that failure to comply with the precautionary measures will be subject to penalties ranging from SR10,000 and SR100,000 and the fine will be doubled in the event of repetition of the violation, up to shutting down of the facility.
Al-Hussein stated that effective Feb. 1st, 2022, access to commercial establishments, restaurants, and cafes will be limited to only those who have completed their immunization and took a booster dose, those who are aged 18 years and above, and those who completed 8 months after the second dose with the possibility of getting the booster shot 3 months after the second dose. This does not include children or those who have been exempted from taking the vaccine as shown in the Tawakkalna app.
During the current month (December), the Ministry’s inspection teams have conducted 73,000 inspection tours and issued 720 violations on spot, and 500 facilities have not verified the health status of shoppers via the Tawakkalna app, he said.
The Ministry has issued 5,300 licenses for the end of year sales, he said. During the sale season, facilities have to comply with the precautions such as wearing masks, disinfecting surfaces, and shopping carts. The Ministry encourages selling discounted items online to avoid crowdedness, he added.