4,415 cases, 46 deaths in 3 days

Oman has reported 4,415 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 and 46 deaths in the last three days.

This is the highest number since the start of the pandemic in two years. The total number of cases registered in the Sultanate has reached 234,634, including 2,513 deaths. Around 153 people were admitted to hospitals across the country in 24 hours, bringing the total number of inpatients to 1,180, including 374 in intensive care units.

Emergency Management Centre confirmed that most government hospitals had exceeded their capacity to reach 157 per cent of the total capacity, like Nizwa and Suhar hospitals, while others are catching up as cases continue to surge.

Meanwhile, the Sultanate has stepped up the national campaign for immunisation against Covid-19 in all governorates across the country.

As many as 435,090 people have been vaccinated against Covid-19, since the start of National Immunisation Plan in December 2020 till Saturday (12 per cent of the Sultanate’s population).

The percentage of those who took the first dose of vaccine stands at 61 per cent, while 39 per cent took both doses, according to statistics issued by the Ministry of Health on Sunday.

The ministry administers the second dose after 10 weeks or more to those who take the first dose. It is now in the process of administering the first dose to employees of the state’s administrative apparatus (public sector employees).

The Ministry of Health plans to cover all target segments aged 12 and above, which stands for 70 per cent of the population. The vaccination process will be carried out in stages, depending on the arrival of supplies of vaccines and in line with the goals set for the National Immunisation Strategy.

VACCINES ARE SAFE

The ministry has confirmed that vaccines used in the Sultanate are safe, approved, and chosen on scientific grounds and after being licenced by the approved regulatory bodies in the country of origin and international organisations. It assured that no serious complications have been recorded for those who received the vaccine so far. Dr Redha bin Issa al Lawati, an Internist at the Covid-19 field hospital, noted that some people are being carried away by rumours about the safety and efficacy of vaccines against the coronavirus and even about the disease itself. This has led to their non-compliance to the precautionary measures and then spread the infection to themselves and their families, friends and society.

“The only way to return to normal life is to take the vaccine, not pay attention to rumours related to safety and efficiency of vaccines, and adhere to preventive measures. With the increase in the number of vaccinators, the cases of infections will decrease, which would contribute to a decrease in the number of inpatients in hospitals and intensive care units, as well as a fall in deaths,” he clarified.

AWARENESS

At this point, community awareness remains an essential element in responding to the health plans made by the Ministry of Health and other agencies to achieve the best levels of health safety for citizens and residents on this land to confront the pandemic.