Saudi Arabia Allocates $500Mln To Help Develop COVID-19 Vaccine - Foreign Minister

Saudi Arabia Allocates $500Mln to Help Develop COVID-19 Vaccine - Foreign Minister

Saudi Arabia has decided to donate $500 million to support global efforts in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic and develop a vaccine against the disease, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud said on Thursday

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th June, 2020) Saudi Arabia has decided to donate $500 million to support global efforts in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic and develop a vaccine against the disease, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud said on Thursday.

Riyadh will also allocate $150 million in a bid to support the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GIVA), a public-private global health partnership aimed at increasing immunization access in poor countries, the minister said, as quoted by the Al-Arabiya broadcaster.

According to the channel, the minister held a video conference with members of GIVA earlier in the day.

In late April, Saudi Arabia pledged to provide $500 million for international organizations to support efforts in combating the pandemic.

As of Thursday, the Saudi Health Ministry has confirmed 1,975 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total count of those infected to 93,157. The tally of recoveries has risen by 806 to 68,965, while the death toll has reached 32.

According to the ministry's report, the number of active coronavirus cases in Saudi Arabia now stands at 23,581.

Elsewhere in the region, the total number of people infected with COVID-19 in Qatar has reached 63,741 since the start of the pandemic, after health officials confirmed a further 1,581 cases over the past 24 hours.

According to the latest statistics published by the ministry, there are 24,228 active coronavirus cases in Qatar. A further 1,926 patients have been discharged from hospitals over the last day, the ministry said, adding that a total of 39,468 people have fully recovered. The death toll now stands at 45.

Meanwhile, the Kuwaiti Health Ministry has recorded 562 new COVID-19 cases over the past day, taking the total number of cases to 29,921.

A further six people have died in the country from disease-related symptoms, taking the death toll to 236 since the beginning of the pandemic. The tally of recoveries has increased by 1,473 to 17,223.

In Oman, the number of coronavirus cases has risen to 14,316, as 778 more people have tested positive for COVID-19. The majority of new cases - 513 - were detected in foreign residents.

The number of recoveries in Oman is now at 3,451, and the death toll has reached 67.