RIYADH: As the holy month of Ramadan reaches the halfway point, Saudi health authorities are warning citizens to avoid large gatherings and to follow important anti-coronavirus guidelines, including social distancing. Both the ministries of interior and health have repeatedly warned Saudis of the consequences of ignoring safety procedures, saying that authorities are prepared to take “drastic measures” and do “whatever is necessary” to curb coronavirus outbreaks in the Kingdom. The Saudi Ministry of Health announced 958 new coronavirus cases today, 1,047 new recoveries and 13 coronavirus-related deaths. Factoring in today’s numbers, the Kingdom’s total case count has risen to 413,174 cases overall, with 396,604 total recoveries and 6,913 deaths over the course of the pandemic. The Riyadh region continued to report the highest number of cases, with 364 recorded today. It was followed by the Makkah region with 234 and the Eastern Province with 145. The regions reporting the lowest number of new cases were Najran with 10, Jouf with eight and Baha with seven. FAST FACTS • The Saudi Ministry of Health announced 958 new coronavirus cases on Monday. • Authorities report 1,047 new recoveries and 13 coronavirus-related deaths. • The Riyadh region continued to report the highest number of cases. • The total number of active cases in the Kingdom declined to 9,657. • The Kingdom’s recovery rate is still holding steady at 95.9 percent. The total number of active cases in the Kingdom declined to 9,657, but severe cases remain high after 44 new patients were admitted to critical care units in the past 24 hours, raising the number of critical patients to 1,290. The Kingdom’s recovery rate is still holding steady at 95.9 percent. Meanwhile, about 8.37 million vaccinations have been administered in the Kingdom. It means that Saudi Arabia is vaccinating people at a rate of about 1.75 per second, or 151,326 per day. About 24 percent of the Kingdom’s 34.8 million people have received a vaccination so far. The Kingdom has also conducted 57,483 PCR tests over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of tests to 16,643,921 over the course of the pandemic. People should visit designated health clinics to deal with coronavirus-related issues, the Ministry of Health has said. Taakad (make sure) clinics provide PCR tests for individuals who may have been exposed to the virus or begin to show mild symptoms such as fever, loss of smell and taste, and breathing difficulties. Tetamman (rest assured) clinics offer treatments for people with more serious symptoms. Appointments to either clinic can be made via the ministry’s Sehhaty app.