Saudi Arabia King Salman receives COVID-19 vaccine

WION Web Team

Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaUpdated: Jan 09, 2021, 07:31 PM IST

A handout picture provided by the Saudi Royal Palace on January 8, 2021, shows Saudi King Salman bin Abdulazziz receiving his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in the northwestern Saudi city of Neom Photograph:(AFP)

Story highlights

Saudi Arabia launched its coronavirus vaccination campaign on December 17 after receiving the first shipment of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine

Saudi Arabia's King Salman received COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday. The king received the jab three weeks after Saudi Arabia launched a three-phase vaccination programme. Saudi press agency said that the king received "the first dose of coronavirus vaccine" in Neom, the futuristic city on the Red Sea.

Saudi Arabia launched its coronavirus vaccination campaign on December 17 after receiving the first shipment of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

The health ministry said the programme would roll out in three phases, starting with people over 65 and those with chronic ailments or at high risk of infection.

People over 50 would be vaccinated next, with everyone else included in the third stage, the ministry said, adding that the vaccine would be free for citizens and residents.

Saudi Arabia has recorded more than 363,000 novel coronavirus cases, including more than 6,000 deaths -- the highest among the Gulf Arab states.

But the kingdom has also reported a high recovery rate.

Saudi Arabia has a population of more than 34 million, according to official figures.

(With AFP inputs)