JEDDAH: The number of recoveries continues to show a significant rise in Saudi Arabia despite the number of new cases that have fluctuated between the 1,000-1,200 mark for the past few weeks. On Monday, 1,510 new recoveries were reported, bringing the tally to 457,128 since the onset of the pandemic last March. Saudi Arabia’s recovery rate has increased to 96.1 percent. Though concerns over variants in the Kingdom continue, the Health Ministry has reiterated that the health and safety of the Kingdom’s residents remain high and that it is continuously monitoring new cases. “Viruses constantly change through mutations and are an expected occurrence, including coronaviruses; they are frequent, and most are ineffective. We must all continue to adhere to precautionary measures and take the vaccine to curb the spread,” said Health Ministry spokesman Dr. Mohammed Al-Abd Al-Aly. Variants are detected through Whole Genome Sequencing and as the Kingdom continues to implement its early detection program with its Tetamman (rest assured) clinics, PCR tests are another effective method of early detection. HIGH LIGHTS • Saudi Arabia recorded 1,212 new cases on Monday. • The Makkah region topped the list with 376 cases. • The current number of active cases in the Kingdom is 10,584. Saudi Arabia reported 1,212 new cases on Monday. With the new infections, the total number of COVID-19 cases has risen to 475,403. The Makkah region topped the list with 376 cases, the Riyadh region came in second with 233 cases, the Eastern Province with 224, and Asir reported 103 cases. The Northern Borders and Jouf reported numbers in single digits with only six and three cases respectively. The current number of active cases in the Kingdom is 10,584, a decline of nearly 300 cases. A decline in the number of critical cases has also been noted in the past 24 hours with 27 fewer patients than the previous day, dropping the number of patients to 1,489. A total of 14 people were reported to have died, bringing the total number of virus-related deaths to 7,691. More than 16.7 million people in the country have been vaccinated at the vaccine centers set up by the government at a rate of 48 doses per hundred. So far, nearly 48 percent of the Kingdom’s population has been vaccinated with at least one dose. A total of 20.9 million PCR tests have been conducted so far with the addition of the 84,652 conducted in the past 24 hours.