Saudi defense ministry workers to receive COVID-19 jab amid case surge

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Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense inaugurated a new coronavirus vaccination center at the King Salman Armed Forces Hospital in Tabuk on Monday, Feb. 22, 2021. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense inaugurated a new coronavirus vaccination center at Prince Sultan Military Medical City in the capital Riyadh on Monday, Feb. 22, 2021. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense inaugurated a new coronavirus vaccination center at Prince Sultan Military Medical City in the capital Riyadh on Monday, Feb. 22, 2021. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense inaugurated a new coronavirus vaccination center at Prince Sultan Military Medical City in the capital Riyadh on Monday, Feb. 22, 2021. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense inaugurated 16 new coronavirus vaccination centers in various regions of the Kingdom on Monday, Feb. 22, 2021. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense inaugurated a new coronavirus vaccination center at Prince Sultan Military Medical City in the capital Riyadh on Monday, Feb. 22, 2021. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense inaugurated a new coronavirus vaccination center at the King Fahd Armed Forces Hospital in Jeddah on Monday, Feb. 22, 2021. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense inaugurated a new coronavirus vaccination center at the King Fahd Armed Forces Hospital in Jeddah on Monday, Feb. 22, 2021. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense inaugurated 16 new coronavirus vaccination centers in various regions of the Kingdom on Monday, Feb. 22, 2021. (SPA)
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Updated 23 February 2021
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Saudi defense ministry workers to receive COVID-19 jab amid case surge

  • The Kingdom said 318 patients recovered in past 24 hours
  • The highest number of cases were recorded in Riyadh with 174

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense inaugurated 16 new coronavirus vaccination centers in military hospitals throughout the Kingdom on Monday.
Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Ameri, director of public administration for medical services at the Armed Forces, said: “The centers come as a starting point for a campaign to vaccinate targeted groups of employees at the ministry and their families in various regions of the Kingdom.”
Saudi Arabia recorded five new COVID-19-related deaths on Monday, raising the total number of deaths to 6,466.
The Ministry of Health confirmed 327 new confirmed cases in the Kingdom in the previous 24 hours, meaning 375,333 people have now contracted the disease.
Of the total number of cases, 2,455 remain active and 497 in critical condition.

According to the ministry, the highest number of cases were recorded in Riyadh with 174, followed by the Eastern Province with 69, Makkah 31, Qassim 16, and Madinah with six cases.
The ministry also said that 318 patients had recovered from COVID-19, bringing the total number of recoveries in the Kingdom to 366,412.
The ministry renewed its call on the public to adhere to health measures and abide by instructions.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Commerce said it has increased inspection rounds by 10 percent compared with the previous week, which resulted in a 12 percent increase in violation detections.
The ministry said it recorded 836 violations during inspections. Businesses were fined SR10,000 ($2,666), while individuals were handed SR5,000 fines.
The coronavirus pandemic has affected more than 111 million people globally, and the death toll has reached about 2.46 million.

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Saudi Hajj Ministry suspends Umrah firm, overseas agent over contract violations

Updated 29 December 2025
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Saudi Hajj Ministry suspends Umrah firm, overseas agent over contract violations

  • Company failed to provide accommodation for a number of Umrah pilgrims, despite these services being documented in the contractual programs, ministry says

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Hajj and Umrah on Sunday announced the suspension of an Umrah company and its overseas agent for failing to provide accommodation services for pilgrims in line with approved contractual programs.

In a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency, the ministry said the company’s failure constitutes a clear violation of regulations governing services for Umrah pilgrims and visitors to the Two Holy Mosques.

It noted that a number of pilgrims arrived in the Kingdom without secured accommodation, despite these services being documented in the contractual programs.

This prompted immediate regulatory action against the company and its overseas agent under the established legal frameworks, the ministry said. 

Pilgrims circumambulate the Holy Kaaba at the Grand Mosque in Makkah in this photo taken earlier this month. (SPA)

"The measures are intended to safeguard the rights of affected pilgrims, prevent a recurrence of such violations, and ensure the continued enhancement of service quality," it added.

Last June, the ministry suspended seven Umrah companies due to deficiencies in providing transport services to pilgrims.

In an earlier report quoting the Hajj Ministry and the General Authority for the Care of the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques, SPA said more than 1.7 million Muslims from all over the world arrived in the Kingdom to perform Umrah during Jumada Al Akhira alone.

Also referred to as Jumada Al Thani, Jumada Al Akhira is the sixth month of the Islamic calendar. For Hijri year 1447, this sixth month ended on December 20, 2025 in the Gregorian calendar.