RIYADH — The Ministry of Health (MOH) has clarified that COVID-19 vaccine in Saudi Arabia is available for citizens and residents who have valid residency at the moment. This was stated by Dr. Muhammad Al-Abdulaaly, official spokesman of the Ministry of Health, while confirming that the infection with the virus is dangerous and not as some people claim that it’s easily handled. Dr. Al-Abdulaaly responded to some rumors about the effectiveness of the vaccine by saying: “It is not true that the vaccine does not prevent the transmission of infection, but rather contributes to protection.” “Reducing symptoms is one of the main and important goals of high immunity,” he added. “We are not talking about a simple matter, we are talking about a big difference, and that infection with the virus may lead a person by 10% to intensive care. “Let me give you an example if 100 people are infected, 10 of them will go to intensive care and 2 -3% of them may die. “On the other hand a percentage close to 100% in a group who received the vaccine and got infected will not need to be hospitalized rather than recording deaths among them, this is something that makes a difference.” Dr. Al-Abdulaaly added that the pandemic is still on, and he called for compliance with the precautionary measures so as to reach the targeted immunity in society. He confirmed that 75 percent of the cases detected recently were caused by family occasions.