Saudi Arabia has not detected the new mutated strain of COVID-19 that seems to have originated in the United Kingdom and spread to other European countries, the spokesperson for the Kingdom’s Ministry of Health, Mohammed Abdelali, confirmed at a Tuesday presser.
Replying to a question about the new coronavirus strain and its effect on the severity of the disease or the genetic developments of the coronavirus, he said there are hundreds of variants that have occurred so far.
“Scientific studies and preliminary data have proven that they do neither prevent the efficacy of the vaccine, nor do they lead to an increase in the severity of the epidemic as well,” the spokesperson said.
“There are scientific committees and experts who monitor all developments and how to deal with the virus, and it is important for those who have traveled during the last two weeks from European countries, South Africa and Australia to self-isolate for a period of 14 days and conduct a laboratory examination and repeat it every five days,” he noted.
Abdelali reassured citizens and residents that the vaccination plan will go as planned, and there are no changes on the plan due to the new mutant COVID-19 variant in a number of European countries.
He confirmed that all those who received the coronavirus vaccine were in good health, noting that all the citizens and expatriates who took the vaccine have not shown any unexpected symptoms.
Abdullah Al-Asiri, the assistant undersecretary at the Ministry of Health for preventive health, confirmed that mutations are popular among viruses.
“What was observed in the UK and subsequent epidemiological signs suggest that these mutations have led to an increase in the ability of the virus to transmit between people,” he said.
Nevertheless, Asiri said that the data is still preliminary and not conclusive evidence.
“What we know for sure is that these mutations did not change the way the virus and its ability to infect humans with severe disease-- it is not more virulent than the previously observed mutations,” he explained.
