SFDA move to impose travel ban on workers of food outlets in the event of food poisoning    Move to ban on establishing zoos in residential neighborhoods    GACA: 1029 complaints recorded against airlines, with least complaints in Riyadh and Buraidah airports during October    CMA plans to allow former expatriates in Saudi and other Gulf states to invest in TASI    11 killed, 23 injured in Israeli airstrike on Beirut    Trump picks billionaire Scott Bessent for Treasury Secretary    WHO: Mpox remains an international public health emergency    2 Pakistanis arrested for promoting methamphetamine    Moody's upgrades Saudi Arabia's credit rating to Aa3 with stable outlook    Al Okhdood halts Al Shabab's winning streak with a 1-1 draw in Saudi Pro League    Mahrez leads Al Ahli to victory over Al Fayha in Saudi Pro League    Al Qadsiah hands Al Nassr their first defeat in the Saudi Pro League    Saudi musical marvels takes center stage in Tokyo's iconic opera hall    Saudi Arabia, Japan strengthen cultural collaboration with new MoU    Saudi defense minister meets with Swedish state secretary    Navigating healthcare's future: Solutions for a sustainable system    Al Khaleej qualifies for Asian Men's Club League Handball Championship final    Katy Perry v Katie Perry: Singer wins right to use name in Australia    Sitting too much linked to heart disease –– even if you work out    Denmark's Victoria Kjær Theilvig wins Miss Universe 2024    Order vs. Morality: Lessons from New York's 1977 Blackout    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Vaccine joy but long road ahead
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 24 - 12 - 2020

There were tears of joy as the first people in the Kingdom were given the coronavirus vaccine. I'm sure many others became emotional as they watched footage of Minister of Health Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah declaring "it's safe" as he himself received it.
The first 150,000 people to be immunized also included elderly people with beaming smiles, describing themselves as the luckiest people alive. It was an uplifting moment in a difficult year as Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman rightly called it "the beginning of the end of this crisis".
We can at last see light at the end of a very dark tunnel that has been 2020. It has been a year unlike any other where we have been locked down at home, international borders have been closed and business and mental health have suffered immeasurably.
But one positive during these difficult times has been how we have come together at all levels of society. International organizations have praised us for being one of the most successful countries in dealing with the pandemic.
The "high-level and well-experienced committee" put together by the government has rightly received plaudits, but every single Saudi person and community can also feel proud.
We have looked out for one another, with no distinction made between any citizen or resident, and we will all have access to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in the near future.
But as Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman said, this is only the beginning of the end... and there is still some way to go before life can return to normal. For a start, the vaccine requires two doses for high effectiveness that are given three weeks apart. This means that the first 150,000 to receive it will not be fully immunized until early in the new year.
It is also being rolled out in three phases, and most of us won't be immunized for some time yet. Those that need it most are being prioritized — over 65s, those with chronic diseases, and health professionals who are vulnerable to infection as they fight the pandemic.
A second phase will then cover all those over 50, with people under this age receiving the vaccine during a third phase.
The inoculation is free of charge and all Saudis have been urged to sign up for it through the app. This is undoubtedly the good news we have been waiting for and is part of a positive picture emerging around the world.
Inoculations have started in the US, Lebanon is set to agree a deal for 1.5 million doses and the vaccine has been approved for use in the European Union, to give a few examples.
But the situation in the UK shows us that this is indeed only the beginning of the end and this virus is still incredibly dangerous. Similarly to Saudi Arabia, a first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was rolled out there recently, with 130,000 people receiving it.
Since then, a new strain of the virus, which spreads far more quickly, has been discovered and was described as being "out of control" in areas including London by the health minister.
This led many countries to temporarily suspend transport links with the UK. All international flights to Saudi Arabia were also stopped for at least a week, highlighting how seriously the authorities here are taking it.
The vaccine will undoubtedly enable us all to emerge from the nightmare and have a bright future some time in 2021. But the situation in the UK proves in the short term, it's a time for hope but not complacency. We still have a long road ahead in the fight against the pandemic.
— Dr. Ghadeer Talal Melibari, holder of PhD in English from University of Hertfordshire, UK, is currently working as Assistant Professor of English teaching at Umm Al


Clic here to read the story from its source.