No ‘long-term’ effects from COVID-19 vaccine, Saudi health official assures public

No ‘long-term’ effects from COVID-19 vaccine, Saudi health official assures public

JEDDAH: A Saudi health official on Thursday poured cold water on rumors being spread about the possible negative long-term bodily effects of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine. In a tweet, Dr. Abdullah Assiri, assistant deputy minister of preventive health, refuted claims that the jab could have lasting consequences. "(The) myth (is) we don't know the long-term effects of vaccines. The truth (however, is) vaccines in general are nearly a century old, and there is no such thing as long-term effects for any vaccine. "The vaccine substance disappears from the body after stimulating the immune memory and nothing remains of it in the body,“ he said. Separately, the Saudi Ministry of Health's official spokesman, Dr. Muhammad Al-Abd Al-Aly, on Wednesday won the humanitarian gong at the 12th Makkah Award for Excellence ceremony held at the Jeddah International Exhibition and Convention Center. He scooped the award for his efforts last year in keeping the public up to speed on issues related to the COVID-19 outbreak by fronting the ministry's daily press briefings. Al-Aly and other winners were presented with their awards by Makkah Gov. Prince Khalid Al-Faisal. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia on Thursday reported 16 more COVID-19-related deaths, taking the overall toll to