There were two important announcements yesterday from the Ministry of Health (MoH) relating to COVID-19 vaccines in Kingdom. A summary is provided below.
Mixing of first and second vaccine doses
The Saudi MoH announced yesterday that Weqaya (Public Health Authority) had authorized the mix-and-match approach for first and second doses of Kingdom-approved COVID-19 vaccines. This is after reviewing findings of several medical studies that tested the safety and efficacy of administering doses from different brands.
It is therefore now possible for individuals to receive one of the Kingdom approved vaccines (AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna and Pfizer) as a second dose after a different approved vaccine was taken as a first dose. The second dose of an approved vaccine will be recognized in the MoH system and the individual’s Tawakkalna status will be updated to ‘fully immune’.
Second doses for over 50s
Starting from today (Thursday, June 24), second doses of COVID-19 vaccines will be made available to individuals aged 50 years and over. Anyone who is eligible and wanting to book a second dose should monitor their Sehhaty App and book an appointment when they become available OR visit one of the testing facilities in Jeddah.
Please note that KAUST Health does not have any vaccines at the present time. If and when this changes, individuals will be contacted and scheduled for their second vaccine.
Informing KAUST of second doses
Please remember to inform KAUST if you have taken your second dose so that we can continue to monitor population vaccine rates which will help in making future decisions in KAUST.
You can provide this information here.
i’ve been told that :
People went to Jeddah during the night and got their second dose from hospital.
Actually, hospital provides vaccines to non registered resident as they have to use the opened lot before the end of the day.
Not sure if this is common for all vaccination centers or only few of them.