RIYADH: Saudi Arabia confirmed one new COVID-19 related death on Sunday, raising the total number of fatalities to 8,879. The Ministry of Health confirmed 1,024 new cases reported in the Kingdom in the previous 24 hours, meaning 558,106 people have now contracted the disease. Of the total number of cases, 69 remain in critical condition. According to the ministry, the highest number of cases were recorded in the capital Riyadh with 337, followed by Jeddah with 231, Makkah with 153, Al-Hufuf confirmed 47, and Dammam recorded 44. The health ministry also announced that 298 patients had recovered from COVID-19, bringing the total number of recoveries in the Kingdom to 542,413. Over 51.1 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered since the Kingdom’s immunization campaign started. More than 23.2 million people have been fully vaccinated. The Ministry of Interior reported 8,955 violations in the past week, with the highest number of breaches recorded in Riyadh with 2,715, followed by Madinah with 1,423, Makkah with 1,088, and the Eastern Province with 894. Jazan region recorded the lowest number of violations with 145. The ministry called on citizens and residents to abide by the preventive protocols and the instructions issued by authorities. Saudi municipalities have also ramped up efforts to monitor compliance with health and safety measures. The municipality of Jeddah carried out 8,720 inspection tours of commercial centers and facilities during the last three days. Authorities recorded 80 violations and closed 37 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 279 million people globally and the death toll has reached around 5.41 million.