MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th February, 2021) The Saudi food and Drug Authority (SFDA) said on Thursday that it had authorized the use and import of the coronavirus vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and UK-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.
Two other vaccines authorized for use in Saudi Arabia until now included those developed by US company Moderna and US-German duo Pfizer-BioNTech.
"Today, the SFDA approved the use of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford. The SFDA authorized the vaccine's use and import after a detailed review of the provided data according to an accurate scientific methodology," the official statement read.
The SFDA said it would probe vaccine samples from each shipment before use, while the rollout would be carried out in line with the approved medical standards and regulations.
Saudi Arabia's mass vaccination campaign began on December 17. As of Thursday, the country reported just over 373,000 COVID-19 cases, including 364,646 recoveries and 6,445 deaths.
