The Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine was approved by the Food and Drug Authority of Saudi Arabia for use in the kingdom on Thursday.

The Authority reported that the US pharmaceutical company Pfizer had submitted a request for approval of the BNT162b2 data vaccine on 24 November and that it had been approved by the Kingdom on the basis of a thorough review, including the assessment of the effectiveness and safety of the vaccine.

The vaccine, which has been shown to be 95% efficient in late-stage clinical trials, is given in two doses, 21 days apart.

"The Authority held a range of meetings to review the company's results, including meetings with local and international experts and scientists, in addition to meetings with the manufacturer and its representatives to respond to inquiries submitted by the Authority," Safdar said in a statement, adding that it also sought the opinion of the country's Infectious Science Advisory Team.

359,274 cases of the virus and over 6,000 deaths have been reported in Saudi Arabia. According to government estimates, nearly 350,000 individuals have recovered from Covid-19 in the kingdom.

In order to ensure consistency, the government has not yet set a date for inoculations to begin but has assured the public that samples from each shipment will be analyzed before use.

On Tuesday, the United Kingdom administered the first Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to an out-of-trial woman, 90-year-old Margaret Keenan.

But people with significant allergies were warned not to obtain it soon after the UK started its vaccination program. Two NHS staff members who experienced an allergic reaction after being inoculated prompted the alarm.

The vaccine has also been approved by Canada and Bahrain.