Coronavirus: Saudi interior, culture ministers, GEA chairman receive COVID-19 vaccine

Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Interior Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud, Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Farhan Al Saud and the chairman of the General Entertainment Authority Turki al-Alshikh received their first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine on Friday.

“I took the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and thank God all is well and I did not feel anything. I urge you all to take it,” chairman Turki al-Alshikh said in a Twitter post he shared with a video.

Prince Badr shared a photo of himself receiving the shot with a caption: “His highness, the Crown Prince [Mohammed bin Salman] led Saudi Arabia’s battle against COVID-19 and today we are reaping the benefits of his efforts and vision.”

The Crown Prince also received his first dose of the vaccine on Friday, according to a video released by the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Interior shared a video of Prince Abdulaziz receiving his first dose of the shot.

Saudi Arabia opened registration for the COVID-19 vaccine via the Ministry of Health’s Sehhaty mobile application on December 15. Since then, over 500,000 people have signed up to receive the shot, according to the health minister.

The Ministry of Health has confirmed the safety and efficacy of the vaccine, after successful tests showed it provided a strong immune response and antibodies in trial participants, according to SPA.

Last Update: Saturday, 26 December 2020 KSA 12:46 – GMT 09:46