Saudi Arabia to offer Covid-19 booster shots to over-60s

The kingdom has administered more than 41 million vaccine doses to date

A Saudi woman gestures after she received the first dose of a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia December 17, 2020. REUTERS/Ahmed Yosri

Saudi Arabia said on Sunday that people aged 60 and older will receive a third Covid-19 vaccine dose to boost their immunity.

The health ministry said it had started giving booster shots to high-risk people, including those who have had organ transplants and kidney failure.

Saudi Arabia has administered more than 41 million Covid-19 vaccine doses to date.

“We are currently preparing to include older adults in the booster dose plan, which will be provided after they complete eight months from their second dose of the vaccine,” said health ministry spokesman Dr Mohammed Al-Abd Al-Aly.

The health ministry urged everyone to take the vaccine, saying “it will help us through the coming phase in confronting the pandemic which is, hopefully, the final stage with the virus”.

Daily Covid-19 cases in Saudi Arabia have dropped to below 50 in the past two days, the ministry reported.

On Sunday, 44 new cases and five new Covid-19 related deaths were reported.

The total number of coronavirus infections in the country has reached 546,926, with 535,950 recoveries to date.

More than 231.57 million people have been reported to be infected by coronavirus globally and 4,949,727 have died, state media reported on Sunday.