The spokesman for the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health, Dr Muhammad Al-Abdel Ali, said that the ministry had ruled out the possibility of imposing stricter lockdown measures, including closing the Two Holy Mosque, despite the spread of the coronavirus variant of Omicron.
He said that the decision was taken on the grounds that the symptoms of the epidemic in the Kingdom do not have the same intensity as they had during the time of its outbreak in early 2020. The confirmation was conveyed during an interview with a program called “YahalaShow” on the Rotana Khalijiya channel on Monday.
He added that the Kingdom had achieved great strides in dealing with the coronavirus, herd immunity had shown a higher rate through vaccinations and booster injections.
During the interview, DR Abdel Ali attributed the fact that Omicron is the fastest-spreading virus in history to the sudden spike in cases of infections in the Kingdom.
However, he emphasized that most infections were reported among those who did not either take the vaccine or complete their vaccine doses. He added that the increase in Omicron will decrease soon, especially after the re-imposition of precautionary health measures.
According to the spokesperson, the drug to treat COVID-19 is currently under research, and the vaccine will not be discontinued even with the presence of drugs. Meanwhile, studies have proven that the third dose is an effective protection against infection by the virus and can prevent its spread.
The spokesperson ended his interview by urging all citizens and residents not to be easily influenced by false information and not to be afraid and panicked seeing the daily increase in numbers of infected cases.
Dr Abdel Ali also expressed his highest gratitude and appreciation to every person who helped overcome the pandemic as they sacrificed their lives to treat and preserve the safety and health of the patients. He even referred to them as the “White Army”.
