RIYADH — Minister of Health Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah announced the arrival of the first batch of the COVID-19 vaccine to the Kingdom on Wednesday morning. “I am pleased to inform everyone — citizens and expatriates — about the arrival of the first batch of the coronavirus vaccine this morning, and I hope that it will be the beginning of the end of the crisis — God willing — and it will be provided to everyone at the earliest opportunity,” the minister said at the 2021 Saudi Budget Forum here on Wednesday. Al-Rabiah said that the early preparations and arrangements made by the ministry, with the support of the leadership, have contributed significantly in containing the pandemic. He lauded the compliance of citizens and expatriates as well as companies to implementing the precautionary measures and preventive protocols, saying that this has been instrumental in bringing down the number of coronavirus infections in the Kingdom. The Ministry of Health has stated that the total number of individuals who have registered via “Sehhaty” (My Health) application to take the vaccine reached 150,000 since the launch of the registration on Tuesday until afternoon of Wednesday. The ministry urged everyone to speed up registration in order to preserve their health and safety and protect themselves from being infected by the coronavirus. The ministry announced on Tuesday the start of registration for the coronavirus vaccine for all citizens and expatriates in the Kingdom free of charge. They can register, through the ministry’s mobile application of Sehhaty in the link of http://onelink.to/yjc3nj. The ministry confirmed the safety and efficacy of the vaccine after effective passage of the vaccine testing phases, and the successful tests showed its strong immune response and antibodies in those who received trial shots.