Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — Citizens and residents in Saudi Arabia can now opt for a coronavirus vaccine of their choice while booking appointments through the Sehhaty application.

The app, which has recently been updated, now lets users know what vaccine is being administered at each vaccination center across the Kingdom and shows each of the registered vaccines carrying a barcode with a different color.

The new measure comes as Saudi Arabia started administering the second dose of vaccine against coronavirus for all age groups of people in the Kingdom from July 11.

So far, over 20 million doses of the vaccine have been administered so far through over 587 vaccination centers in all regions of the Kingdom.

It is noteworthy that the ministry reaffirmed on Tuesday the safety of the mixing of vaccines approved in the Kingdom as it is based on the international research and findings of specialized research committees. The ministry emphasized that this procedure has been approved by the World Health Organization as well as by the concerned authorities in several countries around the world.

Last month, the Saudi National Scientific Committee for Infectious Diseases gave its approval for using different COVID-19 vaccines for the first and second dose. “The approval is in accordance with international scientific studies that showed the possibility of giving two doses of two different coronavirus vaccines safely and effectively in fighting the virus, with the effectiveness of which the second dose aims to achieve,” the ministry said.