SAUDI COVID SURGE TAKES HIGHER TOLL ON WOMEN IN KINGDOM
▶ Lower vaccine acceptance means they account for 55% of new cases
Women make up a higher proportion of Saudi Arabia’s latest Covid-19 cases than men because women are less likely to be vaccinated against the disease, the Health Ministry said.
The kingdom reported a sharp increase in infections over the past few weeks, with authorities now recording more than 900 cases a day in comparison with daily tallies of fewer than 500 cases last month.
Women account for about 55 per cent of the latest cases because demand for Covid-19 shots has been lower among women, said Dr Mohammed Al Abdul Ali, assistant minister of health and the ministry’s spokesman.
“There has also been a surge in the number of women who have been admitted to intensive care units after their conditions turned critical,” he said.
The number of women who have been inoculated against the disease is “below the expected level”, he said.
He urged all citizens and residents to ensure they received a shot to prevent the virus from spreading and to limit the risk to their health if they contract the disease.
“The condition of all those who have previously taken it, both male and female from different age groups, is reassuring and they have not developed any health problems or unexpected symptoms so far,” he said.
But he said health authorities were concerned about the increase in cases.
The rate of infection is higher than at the start of the year because some people were not committed to receiving the vaccine, he said.
Saudi Arabia has administered more than seven million doses of vaccine to citizens and residents during its mass immunisation drive.
The ministry said people could receive the shot at more than 587 sites across the kingdom.
Saudi Arabia approved the use of the AstraZeneca and Moderna vaccines in January to boost its inoculation campaign. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was already being administered in the kingdom.
The public can use the Tawakkalna mobile app to arrange to be vaccinated.
The Interior Ministry announced it would reimpose movement restrictions in cities and districts if people failed to follow safety measures.
“Despite the efforts taken by the government to curb the spread of the virus and ensuring that the public’s health is
There has been a surge in the number of women admitted to intensive care units after their condition turned critical DR MOHAMMED AL ABDUL ALI Assistant minister of health
a priority, we are still seeing many citizens and residents not adhering to the measures imposed,” ministry spokesman Talal Al Shalhoub said on Sunday.
He said people who breached rules governing isolation or quarantine could face a maximum fine of 200,000 Saudi riyals ($53,300) and two years in jail.
“In the event of repeating the violation, the penalty will be doubled,” he said.
About 406,000 Covid-19 cases and more than 6,500 deaths have been reported in the kingdom since the outbreak began.