RIYADH — The number of Saudi citizens and expatriates who have registered in the Ministry of Health’s application of Tawakkalna has exceeded 17 million over the last nine months since its launch. The record turnout for the registration reflects the high level of reliability of the application as one of the most successful and effective digital solutions, launched by the ministry in cooperation with the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) on May 11 last year within the framework of supporting international health efforts to confront the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Abdullah Al-Ghamdi, president of SDAIA, thanked Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman for the generous support and great care given to the authority. He also appreciated the unlimited support of Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, who is also chairman of the Board of Directors of the authority, which has enabled SDAIA to score several achievements that contribute to strengthening the national economy, as well as to develop and qualify young Saudis, so that the Kingdom takes steady steps towards drawing a future based on data and artificial intelligence. Al-Ghamdi said that the Tawakkalna system, with its high-performance health characteristics and various other services, has transformed into a pioneering experiment at the national and regional levels. He lauded the significant and vital role of the application during the delicate and sensitive phase through which the Kingdom is passing with the returning of the epidemic curve after registering an increase in the number of coronavirus cases. He appreciated the noble initiatives taken by the emirs of various regions in strictly enforcing precautionary measures and preventive protocols to stem the spread of the pandemic at work places as well as at commercial centers and markets. Al-Ghamdi praised the high level of awareness among citizens and expatriates in downloading and activating the application, saying that this was reflected in the tremendous response in getting registered in the application. He hoped that there has been a steady increase in the number of people who register in the app over the coming days. The SDAIA chief also appreciated the great role being played by young Saudi men and women who are working with the application to make the experiment a great success. It is noteworthy that Tawakkalna is the official app approved by the Ministry of Health to prevent the spread of coronavirus, and was developed by the National Information Center. The application is available on Apple iOS and Android Google Play store. The app provides instant and live information about the number of coronavirus infections in the Kingdom, and helps in the early detection of possible infections once users show coronavirus symptoms.