RIYADH — Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Health recorded on Monday 231 new coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed infections in the Kingdom to 355,489. Sixteen more patients died due to complications caused by the virus, taking the total number of fatalities to 5,796. The ministry also reported 445 new recoveries over the past 24 hours, raising the total number of people free from the deadly virus to 343,816 with the recovery rate climbing to 97 percent. All the cities in the Kingdom once again recorded less than 50 new cases with Riyadh registering 46, Jeddah and Makkah 18 each and Dammam 14. The remaining cases were detected in different cities and governorates across the Kingdom. With the steady drop in the number of daily cases and the spike in recoveries, the active cases in the Kingdom also came down significantly with 5,877 reported on Monday, and out of the total, 765 were critical cases. “The world is still witnessing the second wave and there is a concern in some countries. However, the coronavirus situation in Saudi Arabia is under control,” Dr. Muhammad Al-Abdel Ali during the press conference. Dr. Ali said that there is an unprecedented rush in some countries of the world in order to produce coronavirus vaccines but we will provide a COVID-19 vaccine that is effective, safe and approved by official bodies. We should be confident that the Kingdom will be the first to provide approved and safe coronavirus vaccines. He also said that the continued adherence to all preventive measures will protect us from the deadly virus even if vaccinations are delayed. The Saudi leadership has mobilized all resources and capabilities and capabilities to confront the corona pandemic, Dr. Ali added. — SG