RIYADH: The Saudi Ministry of Health on Tuesday recorded 65 new confirmed coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases taking the total number of infections in the country to 550,369. One more person has died, putting the Kingdom’s overall death toll at 8,856, and 33 patients were said to be in a critical condition after contracting the virus. Meanwhile, officials reported 82 recoveries, meaning 539,636 people in Saudi Arabia had now recovered from COVID-19. Saudi health authorities have said that anyone wishing to book a consultation or obtain information about COVID-19 and related health services, could contact the 937 service center around the clock. Separately, Pfizer said Tuesday that its experimental pill to treat COVID-19 appears effective against the omicron variant. The company also said full results of its 2,250-person study confirmed the pill’s promising early results against the virus: The drug reduced combined hospitalizations and deaths by about 89 percent among high-risk adults when taken shortly after initial COVID-19 symptoms.