Health Ministry official: Coronavirus vaccines are a lifeline, and the current controversy lacks humanity
In a decisive response to the recently renewed debates, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health for Population Health in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Dr. Abdullah Asiri, refuted the campaigns of doubt that have affected the safety of Corona vaccines and the speed of their approval, describing the current debate as lacking a human dimension and ignoring the recent memory of the world when it stood on the brink of the abyss.
Pandemic context: When the world stopped
To grasp the magnitude of the achievement of vaccines, we must look back a little, specifically to the period before their emergence, when the world faced an unprecedented health crisis in modern times. COVID-19 brought economic and social activity to a complete standstill, and healthcare systems in developed countries collapsed under the weight of the number of infected individuals, while the death toll climbed alarmingly every day. In that dark context, vaccines were not merely a pharmaceutical product; they were the only hope to stem the loss of life and restore normalcy.
Numbers and facts: 20 million lives saved
Dr. Asiri emphasized that vaccines were a true lifeline, preventing the collapse of what remained of healthcare systems and protecting humanity from a looming demographic catastrophe. The Deputy Minister based his assertion on scientific facts and documented international statistics, noting that vaccines directly contributed to preventing nearly 20 million deaths worldwide in just the first year of vaccination campaigns—a figure that reflects the profound humanitarian impact of these medical breakthroughs.
On the local and regional levels, Assiri revealed accurate data that reinforces this argument, as countries such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates recorded a sharp decrease in virus-related death rates by more than 90% immediately after the completion of immunization campaigns, which is tangible and indisputable evidence of the effectiveness of these vaccines in protecting lives.
Debunking rumors about manufacturing speed and mRNA technology
Regarding concerns raised about the speed of vaccine development, Assiri addressed misconceptions, clarifying that what occurred was not a circumvention of safety standards or a bypassing of necessary scientific stages. He explained that the speed was the result of a "carefully planned balance" between clinical phases, supported by open international funding and an unprecedented availability of volunteers, which allowed for a reduction in bureaucratic timelines without compromising rigorous scientific standards.
Dr. Asiri also defended the messenger RNA (mRNA) technology, which has been the subject of much controversy, stressing that it is not a product of the moment or a random experiment, but rather a mature scientific technology that came as a result of research that extended for more than twenty years, and was adapted skillfully and with high efficiency to deal with the emerging virus at that time.
Rational balance and historical fairness
The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health concluded his remarks by acknowledging the existence of vaccine side effects, a well-known and transparently monitored scientific fact for all medications worldwide. However, he emphasized the importance of a rational assessment. The choice, he explained, was between the very rare and potential risk of side effects and the risk of a deadly and widespread virus that claims thousands of lives daily. This, he asserted, decisively tipped the scales in favor of vaccination to protect lives. He called for fairness in discussing this historic moment and for gratitude for the remarkable results achieved.
