The series of restrictions, including lockdowns and closure of commercial activities, seems to be helping in the slight flattening of the epidemiological curve.
Dr Saif al Abri, Director- General of Diseases Surveillance & Control, said in a statement that while the number of new cases has dropped, the daily deaths recorded and a high number of patients in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) are still a matter of concern.
As of Thursday, the total inpatients were 782, including 283 in intensive care units.
“The closure has contributed to a slowdown as the slowdown started on April 9, reached the peak on April 16, and continued to rise until April 21. The new infection rates started to drop from the month-end.”
The situation would have been worse without the night lockdown, and it takes a minimum of two weeks for such measures to show their impact.
The lockdown in Dhofar had its impact as there has been a decline in positive cases and inpatients.
Currently, the percentage of positive cases from examinations is 13 per cent, compared to 11 per cent during the pandemic, which touched 41 per cent at one point in October 2020.
Al Abri said five per cent of the cases needed hospitalisation in health institutions as per the study prepared by the Ministry of Health.
He hoped that the number of ICU patients would drop to 15 cases per day at the end of July if the current trend continues. It will be 102 cases per day on average during the next two months.
The majority of cases among vaccinated people received mild symptoms and some hospital treatment, but one needed intensive care.
The ministerial team on immunisation against Covid-19 has said that more than 1 million doses of vaccines will be received in June, and the number of vaccinated people will reach 1.5 million by the end of June, including new target groups.
The committee said that the target groups include those over the age of 45, pilgrims, citizens of Musandam Governorate, frontline staff including health workers and employees in government institutions, Royal Oman Police, Sultan’s Armed Forces, higher education institutions, educational staff, and Grade 12 students in schools, employees of vital sectors such as the oil and gas sector, ports, airports, and several private sector institutions.
The team explained that the deployment of vaccines will take place through the opening of vaccination centres in all governorates of the Sultanate, including the Oman Convention and Exhibition Center, which is currently being prepared for this purpose, sports complexes in the Governorate of Muscat, and schools and sports complexes in other governorates.
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