RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) on Friday approved Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine for use in the Kingdom.
Moderna’s is the fourth shot that has been authorized for use in the Kingdom following earlier approvals for the AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech and the Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
SFDA said that health authorities will begin import procedures in accordance with the relevant standards and requirements, and that the authority will analyze samples from each incoming shipment of the vaccine before using it to ensure its quality.
The decision to approve registration and use of Moderna's vaccine was made based on the data provided by the company, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
The SFDA held several meetings to study the submitted data with local and international experts and specialists. A meeting with Moderna and its representative was also held to answer enquiries made by the authority.
Over 19.2 million doses of a coronavirus vaccine have been administered in the Kingdom to date.
Meanwhile, the Kingdom announced 14 deaths from COVID-19 and 1,133 new infections.
Of the new cases, 328 were recorded in Riyadh, 245 in Makkah, 206 in the Eastern Province, 108 in Asir, 76 in Jazan, 63 in Madinah, 24 in Najran, 18 in Tabuk, 18 in Al-Baha, 15 in Hail, five in Al-Jouf, and one in the Northern Borders region.
The total number of recoveries in the Kingdom increased to 479,709 after 1,582 more patients recovered from the virus.
A total of 7,947 people have succumbed to the virus in the Kingdom so far.
