RIYADH: Saudi Arabia said on Sunday that it has vaccinated 98 percent of health practitioners working in vaccination centers in the Kingdom, the health ministry said. It added that 93 percent of health practitioners working in the “Tetamman” clinics and “Taakud” centers have also been vaccinated, and 82 percent of employees in all the ministry’s health facilities have received the coronavirus vaccine. More than 14 million doses of the vaccine have been administered through more than 590 vaccination centers in various regions, some of which operate 24 hours a day, and have witnessed a large turnout . The Kingdom recorded 16 new COVID-19 related deaths on Sunday, raising the total number of fatalities to 7,456. The Ministry of Health confirmed 984 new confirmed cases reported in the Kingdom in the previous 24 hours, meaning 457,546 people have now contracted the disease.  Of the total number of cases, 9,446 remain active and 1,545 in critical condition. According to the ministry, the highest number of cases were recorded in Makkah with 349, followed by the capital Riyadh with 210, the Eastern Province with 140, Madinah recorded 73, and Asir confirmed 61 cases. The health ministry also announced that 1,185 patients had recovered from COVID-19, bringing the total number of recoveries in the Kingdom to 440,644. #الصحة ⁩ تعلن عن تسجيل (984) حالة إصابة جديدة بفيروس كورونا (كوفيد-19)، وتسجيل (16) حالات وفيات رحمهم الله، وتسجيل (1185) حالة تعافي ليصبح إجمالي عدد الحالات المتعافية (440,644) حالة ولله الحمد. pic.twitter.com/egswTIzuUJ — و ز ا ر ة ا لـ صـ حـ ة السعودية (@SaudiMOH) June 6, 2021 The ministry renewed its call on the public to register to receive the vaccine, and adhere to the measures and abide by instructions. Police in the Eastern Province arrested 28 people at a rest house in Hafr Al-Batin for violating the maximum number of people permitted at a gathering. Penalties have been imposed on the organizers and all those who attended. During inspection tours, authorities in Khamis Mushait closed down the Haraj market for not adhering to measures to control overcrowding and the movement of shoppers. Police in Riyadh said they arrested 169 people and police in Al-Baha said they arrested 45 people for flouting quarantine instructions after they tested positive for COVID-19. Penalties for individuals who violate quarantine instructions include a fine of up to SR200,000 ($53,332) and/or up to two years imprisonment, and penalties are doubled for repeat offenders. If the violation was committed by an expat, they face deportation from the Kingdom and are permanently banned from re-entry. Legal proceedings have been taken against and penalties have been imposed on all those arrested. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Islamic Affairs reopened four mosques in four regions after temporarily evacuating and sterilizing them after some people tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the total number of mosques closed and reopened after being sterilized to 1,504 within 120 days. The coronavirus pandemic has affected over 173 million people globally and the death toll has reached around 3.73 million.