The COVID-19 vaccine developed by U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and German partner BioNTech has been approved for use in Saudi Arabia on Thursday.

Saudi Arabia’s state news agency SPA reported that the Saudi Food and Drug Authority made the approval in response to a request from Pfizer, clearing the way for health agencies in the kingdom to import and use the vaccine.

The agency added that the approval for the vaccine’s registration and use was based on safety and effectiveness data that Pfizer had provided.

No specific dates have been given for the arrival of the vaccine and the start of its use in the country.

Saudi health authorities in November said the COVID-19 vaccines would be made available to citizens and foreign residents for free.

Earlier, Bahrain, another Gulf country, announced it had approved the emergency use of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

The approval made Bahrain the second country in the world to grant an emergency use authorisation for the vaccine after Britain. (dpa/NAN)