Saudi Health Minister Tawfiq Al-Rabiah announced on Monday that Saudi Arabia will procure the vaccine for Covid-19 once its safety is confirmed and its effectiveness proved.

He added that several studies are currently in place in different countries and that health authorities are up to date with the progress. Moreover, the recovery rate from the virus has risen to 96% in the Kingdom.

The minister says that this decline in the number of the cases is thank to the “commitment to health precautions.”

“I also thank my fellow health practitioners for their wonderful efforts,” Al-Rabiah added.

“We (all) are in one boat, and the failure of some affects everyone, so we must work together” to check the spread of the virus.

He also advised people who show any symptoms of COVID-19 to visit Tetamman (rest assured) clinics.

“Appointments can be made through the ministry’s Sehaty app, and anyone who has any questions or wants to consult a doctor can call 937,” the minister said.

He also stressed on the importance of maintaining social distance and the needed precautionary measures.

Around 40 vaccines are showing potential and are currently being tested on humans. Nine of these vaccines are at an advanced stage, whereas their effectiveness are being evaluated.

The center is ready to work along with with the Kingdom’s Ministry of Health and the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) and take part in the tests of one or two of the nine vaccines that are currently in the third phase of clinical trials.

Dr. Naif Al-Harbi, the head of KAIMRC’s drug-development unit, told Al-Ekhbariya TV news channel that they expect to have hold of nine vaccines, all of which are in the third stage of clinical trials.

“Approval or disapproval of any drug normally follows the third stage of its clinical trials, which is the last stage,” he added. “Since the pandemic, KAIMRC has been in continuous contact with a number of drug companies in four countries (that are developing vaccines).” Al-Harbi said.

“We examine the drugs and make sure they have caused no side effects when tested on humans, or that they just caused insignificant side effects,” said Al-Harbi. “We also look into the manufacturing company’s profile to ensure it follows the standards of the good manufacturing practices, and that the company’s products are consistently produced and controlled according to quality standards.”

We’re wishing for the best and for a vaccine to be developed, so our lives can go back to normal.

The Kingdom has launched a number of clinics that they have named ‘Tataman’ for patients who are having coronavirus symptoms but are not yet diagnosed with the virus.

These new facilities, identified in English as “Fever Clinics” in a Ministry of Health tweet, will operate 24/7.

“In the interest of the health of all those on the land of our dear homeland, we launched today “tataman” [reassurance] clinics that are dedicated to people who experience symptoms of coronavirus, such as high fever, and will expand during the next two days,” Saudi Health Minister Tawfiq Al-Rabiah said in the tweet.

The clinics have started operations in six cities in Saudi Arabia, and the ministry said that it’s planning on expanding the clinics’ branches across the rest of the Kingdom’s provinces later on.

So far, the 31 clinics are currently open in the cities of Riyadh, Al-Ahsa, Qassim, Jeddah, Makkah and Madinah.

The announcement of the clinics came after health officials reported 3,121 new cases of coronavirus in the Kingdom detected in only the past 24 hours, while 1,175 new cases of recovery were recorded.