Saudi Arabia Expects to Get Russia, China Virus Vaccines in 2021

(Bloomberg) -- Saudi Arabia is still in talks with Russia and China to source coronavirus vaccines after the kingdom rolled out a program to administer the Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE shot.

“The process is ongoing and data is being shared, but we have not yet reached a decision,” Assistant Deputy Minister of Health Abdullah Assiri said in an interview with Bloomberg TV. “We don’t expect other vaccines to reach Saudi Arabia maybe until the first quarter of 2021.”

Saudi Arabia, which approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine earlier this month, on Monday halted international flights and closed its borders for one week over fears about the fast-spreading new strain of the coronavirus.

Assiri also said:

• Saudi Arabia received three shipments of Pfizer vaccines and expects to get additional ones before the end of the year
• Saudi Arabia aims to vaccinate all of its residents for free

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