By Shahid Nayeem, Senior Correspondent
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) has approved Moderna vaccine for use in the Kingdom. Moderna’s is the fourth shot that has been authorized for use in the Kingdom following earlier approvals for the AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech and the Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
SFDA said that health authorities will begin import procedures in accordance with the relevant standards and requirements and that the authority will analyze samples from each incoming shipment of the vaccine before using it to ensure its quality.
The decision to approve registration and use of Moderna’s vaccine was made based on the data provided by the company, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
Pakistan’s Envoy Presents Credentials To Slovak President
Pakistan’s Ambassador Aftab Ahmed Khokher, presented his credentials to Slovak Republic President Zuzana Čaputová during an official ceremony held at the Presidential Palace in Bratislava.
Presenting his credentials, Ambassador Khokher conveyed to President Čaputová the warm greetings of President Dr Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Imran Khan. He pledged to further strengthen and expand the bilateral relations between Pakistan and the Slovak Republic.
There is immense potential for cooperation, particularly in the fields of renewable energy, green economy, and higher education, he said, adding that the two countries can also enhance trade and investment linkages.
Ambassador Khokher is currently serving as the Ambassador of Pakistan to Austria. He is also Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the Vienna-based international organizations, which include the International Atomic Energy Agency, UN Industrial Development Organisation, UN Office on Drugs and Crime, and the UN Commission on International Trade Law.
His last assignment at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad was additional secretary (Americas). He has previously served as Pakistan’s ambassador to Lebanon, Pakistan’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Geneva, and as Pakistan’s Consul General in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Ambassador of Pakistan to Saudi Arabia Lt-Gen (Retd) Bilal Akbar calls on Makkah Governor
Earlier, Prince Khalid bin Faisal, Governor of Makkah Al-Mukarramah Region, assured to discuss the issue of flights from Pakistan to Saudi Arabia with the authorities concerned.
During a meeting with the Ambassador of Pakistan to Saudi Arabia Lieutenant-General Bilal Akbar (Retd) on Tuesday, he said: “[The] government of Pakistan has done a commendable job in preventing the Covid-19 pandemic.”
