Saudi Arabia commits USD 500mln to COVID-19 vaccine development
Nov 21, 2020
Riyadh [Saudi Arabia], November 21 (ANI/Sputnik): The Saudi Arabian government has committed more than $500 million to funding efforts to develop and produce a safe and effective vaccine against the coronavirus disease, the country's health minister, Tawfig Al Rabiah, said ahead of the G20 Summit on Friday.
"The Kingdom has committed $500 million to support efforts to develop a vaccine against COVID-19," Al Rabiah remarked.
At the same event, Abdullah Al Rabiah, the supervisor general of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief), said that Saudi Arabia will be one of the first countries to receive any vaccines against COVID-19.
"Saudi Arabia has formed committees containing the best vaccination specialists. The Kingdom will be among the first countries to receive a vaccine. Not any vaccine, but an effective one. The Kingdom will receive the safest and most effective vaccine," the KSrelief supervisor general said.
Since the start of the pandemic, more than 354,800 cases of COVID-19 have been registered in Saudi Arabia, including the 286 new cases reported on Friday. The country has yet to experience a second wave similar to the rise in cases observed in Europe in fall. (ANI/Sputnik)
