RIYADH — The children aged 12 and above are required to complete both vaccine doses, Ministry of Health (MoH) spokesperson Dr. Muhammad Al-Abdel Ali stressed on Sunday.

Dr. Al-Abdel Ali made this remarks at a joint press conference here on Sunday in which the spokesperson of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD) Saad Al-Hammad was also present.

Dr. Al-Abdel Ali said that children are also capable of contracting and spreading the virus to their families, even if they are asymptomatic carriers.

The records show that some of the children can suffer from the symptoms the same way adults do, and that the virus can be lethal, even to infants.

Dr. Al-Abdel Ali reiterated the fact that all, especially students, have to complete both doses of the vaccine while stressing the importance of completing the vaccines, especially with the new variants spreading.

He added, “Completing both doses or even mixing different types of vaccines might be able to combat variants such as the Delta variant, with some studies showing that the mixing of the vaccines could even be more efficient.”

The MHRSD spokesperson Al-Hammad answered inquiries about the protective and preventive methods being taken in offline work and also the continuance of remote work in both private and government sectors.

Al-Hammad said that remote work for public sectors is likely to continue, especially since it is a modern pattern that has proven its effectiveness during the pandemic. He expected work to be both online and offline in the public and private sectors, as a new hybrid system is evolving.

Al-Hammad also stressed the importance of employees of both public and private sectors taking two vaccines in order to ensure a safe workspace.

He added, “Current statistics showing the rates of vaccine spread among employees, with 69% of the employees at the private sectors being vaccinated, and 97% of the employees at the public sectors.”