Saudi Arabia will make coronavirus vaccines free to residents
The kingdom hopes to vaccinate up to 70% of its population by the end of 2021.
Saudi Arabia aims to vaccinate up to 70% of the kingdom’s population against the coronavirus by the end 2021, the Health Ministry said Monday.
"The COVID-19 vaccine will be available to everyone in Saudi Arabia for free. ... We hope to have enough vaccines to cover 70% of the country's population free of charge by the end of 2021," Abdullah Asiri, assistant undersecretary at the Health Ministry, said on state television.
Asiri said Saudi Arabia will obtain the vaccines through Covax, a vaccine fund agreed to by more than 156 countries, as well as through contracts with drug manufacturers. The vaccine will not be offered to Saudi residents under 16 unless further research demonstrates a need, he said.
The race to find a vaccine for COVID-19, which has killed over 1.3 million people worldwide, has shown promising results in recent weeks. US companies Pfizer and Moderna announced earlier this month that their vaccine candidates are more than 90% effective.
