Saudi Arabia’s King Salman directs 1 million COVID vaccine doses for Tunisia

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman has issued directives to provide Tunisia with one million doses of the coronavirus vaccine and other medical assistance and aid upon the request from Tunisian President Kais Saied, according to an announcement issued on Monday.

The King directed the King Salman Center for Relief and Humanitarian Action (KSRelief) to urgently support Tunisia with medical and preventive equipment and supplies in a way that contributes to overcoming the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Coronavirus Coronavirus Tunisia says health care system collapsing due to rapid outbreak of COVID-19

A day earlier, Tunisia had received a pledge from the UAE for 500,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines following a call between Saied and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Adviser at the Royal Court and General Supervisor of the King Salman Relief Center, Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Rabiah, confirmed that the aid to Tunisia will also include 190 artificial respirators, 319 oxygen concentrators, 150 medical beds, 50 vital signs monitoring devices with a trolley, 4 million medical masks, and 500,000 medical gloves, 180 pulse oximeters, 25 intravenous drug pumps, 9 defibrillators, 15 video laryngoscopes, and 5 electrocardiographs (ECG).

Tunisia’s health care system is collapsing due to the coronavirus, with intensive care departments full and doctors overburdened by a rapid outbreak of cases and deaths, the health ministry said last Thursday.

“We are in a catastrophic situation ... the health system collapsed, we can only find a bed in hospitals with great difficulty,” ministry spokesperson Nisaf Ben Alaya was quoted as saying.