JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s epidemiological curve saw a 95 percent decline since the start of the year, a sign of significant improvement according to the Saudi Ministry of Health. 
Spokesman Dr. Mohammed Al-Abd Al-Aly confirmed that the decline was due to the public’s adherence to preventative measures as well as the rise in the number of vaccinated people. “As a result of this decline, the number of cases in ICUs have also shown a significant decline and the more we ensure that more people are inoculated, the more positive the outlook will be,” he said. 
The MOH announced that the total number of doses administered has reached 39.5 million, with 22.7 million first doses and 16.7 million people having their second.
Al-Abd Al-Aly reassured those hesitant to receive their second dose of the vaccine, saying that the jabs are safe and important to stop emerging variants, including the Delta variant.
He added that it is vital that parents protect their children from COVID-19 by ensuring they also receive their doses. “Studies have shown their safety and efficacy. The Kingdom has approved both the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccine for those younger than 18 after going through a lengthy approval and safety process,” he said.

“One dose is not enough; we call on everyone to complete their vaccinations,” he added.
Saudi Arabia recorded 80 new COVID-19 cases one Sunday, bringing the total number of cases to 545,992.
There are currently 2,291 active cases, of which 508 cases are critical, a decline of 20 in the past 24 hours. 
The number of recoveries exceeded the number of new cases at 95 people within the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of recoveries to 535,078.
Of Sunday’s cases, 31 were in the Riyadh region, 15 in Makkah, with the rest of the Kingdom’s regions recording cases in the single digits. Tabuk, Jouf, and Bahah had only one patient each testing positive.
Six people died, which brought the total number of deaths to 8,623.

In addition, 44,227 PCR tests were conducted in the past 24 hours, raising the total number of tests in the Kingdom since the beginning of the pandemic to more than 28 million. 
Meanwhile, Saudi municipalities have ramped up efforts to monitor compliance with health and safety measures in place to prevent the spread of the virus.
The municipality of Jeddah carried out 9,747 inspection tours of commercial centers and facilities in three days, identifying 58 violations. 
Authorities closed 37 commercial outlets for breaching protocols.
The violations included noncompliance with social distancing and mask-wearing, leniency in measuring the temperature of customers, overcrowding issues, and a failure to effectively use the Tawakkalna app.
The app was launched last year to track COVID-19 cases and has been updated to show vaccination information, including an individual’s status, such as vaccinated or infected. It now functions as a COVID-19 “passport.”
Municipalities urged all commercial facilities to abide by regulations to ensure public safety and prevent the spread of the disease.
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 225 million people globally and the death toll has reached around 4.64 million.