Universities across Saudi Arabia open COVID-19 vaccine centers

Universities across Saudi Arabia open COVID-19 vaccine centers
February 27, 2021, 10:39 am

A coronavirus vaccination center at the old Jeddah airport is seen. (File photo: AP)

Several universities across Saudi Arabia are preparing to open coronavirus vaccination centers as part of efforts to support the Kingdom’s inoculation drive, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Friday.

The centers in the capital Riyadh will be located at the King Saudi University, the Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, the Majmaah University and the Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University, SPA said.

The Bisha University will open a vaccine center in the south-western province of Asir. In Mecca, the Umm al-Qura University is setting up an inoculation center.

The Taif University, the Hail University, the Jazan University, and the University of Hafr al-Batin will also open centers in their respective cities, according to SPA.

A Medina resident receives his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. (Twitter)

Vaccines will be available at the universities for faculty members and their family members, as well as the general public.

The doses will be given to people according to priority and age group, and as per the approved electronic systems.

Specialized administrative workers will organize medical teams to ensure that the inoculation drive runs smoothly at the new centers.

The move comes as part of the Ministry of Education’s efforts, under the guidance of the education minister Hamad al-Asheikh, to join national efforts to combat the coronavirus pandemic, SPA said.

Under the directives of al-Asheikh, universities across Saudi Arabia have been implementing emergency plans to fight the coronavirus pandemic since February 2020, according to SPA.

This includes programs, events, and community activities that aim to raise awareness about the threat of the COVID-19 disease.

Universities in the Kingdom also provided technical and human support to state institutions in university hospitals and health centers, as well as allocated buildings for the isolation and quarantine of patients infected with the virus.

Hundreds of faculty members and university researchers in Saudi Arabia have been encouraged throughout the pandemic to present scientific studies, research, and innovations to aid the global fight against the coronavirus.

The Kingdom is ranked first in the Arab world, 12th among G20 countries, and 17th at the global level in publishing scientific research on the coronavirus.