Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia residents praise government plan for free vaccines for all

Residents living in Saudi Arabia have praised government measures to make coronavirus vaccines available for free for everyone living in the Kingdom.

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Saudi Arabian surgeon Dr. Aayed Alqahtani, a professor and consultant of minimally invasive and obesity surgery at King Saud University, said: “This announcement is expected from Saudi’s leaderships as they put controlling COVID-19 as their first priority from the day one. As we look around the world we see the cases rise while in Saudi Arabia the cases are going down every day because of strong and great commitment from the start.”

“Initially the Saudi government offered all diagnostic and treatment measures free of charge for all those living in Saudi Arabia – regardless of their nationality, legal status, gender or otherwise.

“Now when it comes to the vaccine they have announced the same – where they will offer it free of charge for all. When it comes to humanity and health, Saudi does not at all blink an eye on cost calculation.”

Ministry of Health spokesperson Mohammed Abdelali announced the free vaccines-for-all measures in the daily coronavirus press conference on Monday

“The COVID-19 vaccine will be available to everyone in Saudi Arabia for Free... We hope to have enough vaccines to cover 70 percent of the country’s population by the end of 2021,” state television Al-Ekhbariya TV quoted the Ministry of Health as saying. “Any vaccine must be safe, effective and approved by the relevant authorities.”

Abdulrahman Inayat, director at W7Worldwide, a Saudi PR firm, also welcomed the government measures.

“This generosity is not new to our government, whether through its Vision 2030, its programs or its massive efforts to combat COVID-19 on the national and international level, the Kingdom has been actively working towards bettering the lives citizens and residents.”

“From the time COVID-19 hit the Kingdom, was one of a few countries that provided treatment for COVID-19 patients for free for citizens and residents and they are now building on their commitment towards people wellness and health by providing the COVID-19 vaccine for free.”

Ahlam Ali, a Saudi national, said: “The Kingdom and its leadership have been one of the few to demonstrate its humanity and care towards citizens and residents from the moment COVID-19 affected Saudi Arabia.”

"And we see that once again that the health and lives of people will always be the number one priority by providing the vaccine for free. It truly gives the people living in Saudi Arabia a sense of pride and security.”

To date, there have been 355,741 COVID-19 cases in Saudi Arabia, including 5,811 deaths.

The leaders of the 20 biggest economies in the world (G20) committed at the end of the G20 Riyadh Summit on Sunday to “spare no effort” to ensure the fair distribution of vaccines against the coronavirus worldwide.

After a virtual summit hosted by Saudi Arabia, the G20 leaders said in the final communique: “We have mobilized resources to address the immediate financing needs in global health to support the research, development, manufacturing and distribution of safe and effective COVID-19 diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines.”

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https://english.alarabiya.net/en/coronavirus/2020/11/22/G20-G20-leaders-commit-to-fair-distribution-of-coronavirus-vaccines-worldwide-Statement