Selangor Journal
Muslim pilgrims wearing face masks and keeping social distance perform Tawaf around Kaaba during the annual Hajj pilgrimage amid Covid-19 pandemic, in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on July 31, 2020. — Picture by REUTERS

Saudi Arabia recognises Sinovac as vaccine passport — Zulkifli

KUALA LUMPUR, July 13 —  The Saudi Arabian government has included Sinovac in its list of recognised vaccines to gain entry into the country. Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri said the public could convey the good news to family members who intended to perform haj and umrah in Saudi Arabia.

“Let us all pray for the affairs of Malaysian pilgrims who have been approved to perform the Haj this year, to be facilitated by Allah,” he said in a post on his official Facebook page.

Zulkifli also shared a link to the Saudi Arabian health ministry’s website ‘https://eservices.moh.gov.sa’ for reference purposes.

With the latest development, Saudi Arabia now recognises six types of vaccines, namely Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Janssen, Sinopharm and Sinovac.

Prior to this, it was reported that only pilgrims who received the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines would be allowed to perform the haj, and this raised concerns among Malaysians who received the Sinovac vaccine.

— Bernama

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