Mohammed Al-Kinani
JEDDAH: The Saudi Ministry of Health has issued reassurances that a booster shot against the omicron variant can help people avoid the acute complications the virus can cause.
In a joint press conference with the Interior Ministry and the Saudi Public Health Authority on Sunday, Health Ministry spokesman Mohammed Al-Abd Al-Aly said that the world is registering huge numbers of COVID-19 infections and the current wave of the virus is the highest since the outbreak of the pandemic. He said that this is mainly down to the rapid spread of the omicron variant.
The spokesman said that the pandemic wave is accelerating rapidly in Saudi Arabia, with the numbers doubling every four to five days.
“We expect there will be more and more cases in the coming stage of the pandemic. However, the acceleration of these numbers may slow if we comply with the precautionary measures in all our activities,” he said.
Al-Abd Al-Aly said that the MoH had reported an increase in the number of critical cases.
“It is important here to say that most of the critical cases are people who have not completed their vaccinations. For that reason, we highly recommend that people should promptly take the vaccines,” he said.
The spokesman said that more 51 million doses have so far been administered in the country, with 23.1 million people having received two doses.
He said that those who have recovered from the disease also need to receive a booster, since the immunity gained after an infection is less effective against variants than the vaccines.
