RIYADH: Saudi Arabia confirmed two new COVID-19 related deaths on Monday, raising the total number of fatalities to 8,796. The Ministry of Health confirmed 49 new cases reported in the Kingdom in the previous 24 hours, meaning 548,666 people have now contracted the disease. Of the total number of cases, 61 remain in critical condition. According to the ministry, the highest number of cases were recorded in the capital Riyadh with 14, followed by Jeddah with 11, Makkah confirmed five, and Madinah, Jazan, Yanbu and Khobar recorded two cases each. The health ministry also announced that 35 patients had recovered from COVID-19, bringing the total number of recoveries in the Kingdom to 537,605. Over 45.7 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered since the Kingdom’s immunization campaign started. More than 21.5 million people have been fully vaccinated. Saudi municipalities have ramped up efforts to monitor compliance with health and safety measures. The municipality of Eastern Province carried out 1,286 inspection tours of commercial centers and facilities on Sunday. Authorities recorded 135 violations and closed four businesses for not adhering to the precautionary measures. Officials have also called on the public to report any suspected health breaches by phoning the 940 call center number or contacting authorities through the Balady app. The coronavirus pandemic has affected over 247 million people globally and the death toll has reached around 5.01 million.