RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s National Committee for Infectious Diseases on Wednesday approved the possibility of mixing different COVID-19 vaccines for the first and second doses. The Ministry of Health said the decision was taken according to international scientific studies that showed it was possible to give two doses of two different vaccines safely, while getting the effectiveness of which the second dose aims to be achieved. The ministry added more than 16.9 million doses of the vaccine have been administered across the Kingdom through 587 centers so far. Meanwhile, the Kingdom recorded 13 new COVID-19 related deaths on Wednesday, raising the total number of fatalities to 7,716. The Ministry of Health reported 1,253 new confirmed cases reported in the Kingdom in the previous 24 hours, meaning 478,135 people have now contracted the disease.  Of the total number of cases, 11,328 remain active and 1,472 in critical condition. According to the ministry, the highest number of cases were recorded in Makkah with 363, followed by the Eastern Province with 263, the capital Riyadh with 165, Asir recorded 159, and Jazan confirmed 105 cases. The health ministry also announced that 1,043 patients had recovered from COVID-19, bringing the total number of recoveries in the Kingdom to 459,091. #الصحة ⁩ تعلن عن تسجيل (1253) حالة إصابة جديدة بفيروس كورونا (كوفيد-19)، وتسجيل (13) حالات وفيات رحمهم الله، وتسجيل (1043) حالة تعافي ليصبح إجمالي عدد الحالات المتعافية (459,091) حالة ولله الحمد. pic.twitter.com/ARutclWYG9 — و ز ا ر ة ا لـ صـ حـ ة السعودية (@SaudiMOH) June 23, 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 Najran said four people have been arrested in the region for violating quarantine instructions after they tested positive for coronavirus. Saudi Arabia has imposed penalties on those who disregard regulations enforced to prevent the spread of the virus; they are either fined up to SR200,000 ($53,330), face up to two years in prison, or have both sanctions imposed. Legal measures have been taken against those arrested and they will be referred to the Public Prosecution. The Ministry of Islamic Affairs reopened nine mosques in five regions after temporarily evacuating and sterilizing them after nine people tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the total number of mosques closed and reopened after being sterilized to 1,636 within 137 days. The coronavirus pandemic has affected over 180 million people globally and the death toll has reached around 3.90 million.