RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Friday confirmed 3,555 new COVID-19 infections in the previous 24 hours, meaning 702,624 people have now contracted the disease. According to the Ministry of Health, the highest number of cases were recorded in the capital Riyadh with 1,209, followed by Jeddah with 232, Dammam with 178, Al-Hofuf confirmed 146, and Madinah recorded 98. Of the total number of cases, 1,042 remain in critical condition. The ministry confirmed three new coronavirus related deaths, raising the total number of fatalities to 8,950 since the pandemic began. The health ministry also announced that 4,023 patients had recovered from COVID-19, bringing the total number of recoveries in the Kingdom to 657,995. Over 58.2 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered since the Kingdom’s immunization campaign started. More than 23.7 million people have been fully vaccinated. Saudi municipalities have ramped up efforts to monitor compliance with health and safety measures. Jeddah Municipality carried out 8,410 inspection tours of commercial centers and facilities in three days, and authorities identified 62 violations and closed seven 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 389 million people globally and the death toll has reached around 5.73 million.