More people seek vaccine as Saudi Arabia opens drive-through centres
Saudi Arabia opened drivethrough Covid-19 vaccination centres in four cities this week, to encourage more people to become inoculated.
The kingdom approved both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines and has administered 885,000 doses so far, Ministry of Health spokesman Dr Mohammed Al Abdulaali said. Director of Community Health in Riyadh,
Dr Mona Al Amer, said the new vaccine sites had proven popular with the public so far.
“On the test day, we served 20 people, the next day 200, and we are increasing the centre’s capacity,” she said.
Those wishing to visit the centres in Riyadh, Makkah, Madinah and Abha can register through the Ministry of Health’s Sehhaty app.
The initiative aims to widen the availability of vaccines and will be expanded if demand increases, Dr Al Amer said.
“People who experienced the drive-in service so far are very pleased with it. It is easier for them because they don’t need to get out of the car, and it is a faster process,” she said.
When the initiative began, Makkah resident Haifa Ibrahim was particularly excited to sign up her mother.
“The moment I knew about the drive-through, I got excited for my mother, who is 80 years old. She was unwilling to take the vaccine in any centre regardless of location because she was scared and concerned about being surrounded by people who might be a source of virus transmission,” she said. “Now, I can convince her to go because she won’t leave the car.”
The kingdom’s second phase of coronavirus vaccinations began on February 18. Cases continue to concern authorities and the ministry said more groups could be inoculated.
The kingdom’s second phase of coronavirus vaccinations began on February 18