Muscat: 32 deaths and 1,886 new infections with the Coronavirus were recorded in the last 24 hours, Dr. Ahmed Mohammed Al Saeedi, the Minister of Health said during the 24th press conference of the Supreme Committee on covid-19.
A total of 1,515,130 doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered in the Sultanate so far. The Sultanate will receive 3,200,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine starting from the beginning of the next month until the end of September, said the minister.
Highlights from the Press Meet
Minister of Health
- 40 pregnant women are in ICU until yesterday
- There is currently no plan to close airports or impose total closure. The epidemiological developments determine the nature of the measures that should be taken in the coming stage
- The numbers are very worrying and frightening due to the ongoing wave. The health sector has become saturated.
- Most deaths during the month of April were people over 60 years old who refused to receive vaccination.
- Our aim is to vaccinate all target groups with a dose of the vaccine before the end of August
- The Sultanate will allow the use of any vaccination or medical equipment only after ensuring its safety and effectiveness
- All governorates of the Sultanate, except Musandam, have high rates of infections, most of which are Muscat and North Al Batinah
- Rumors against vaccination will be held accountable by law, and we hope that by September, more than 3, 200, 000 doses of vaccine will reach the Sultanate.
- Total closure is the last option that the state can take and it is not advisable to rely only on vaccines. Some countries returned to the closure after expanding the vaccination drive.
- With His Majesty's support, there are no financial issues to confront the pandemic
- I will not confirm or deny anything regarding the total lockdown as it depends on the epidemiological situation
- The government’s priorities are the health of the citizens and the residents. Decisions are based on recommendations and the health situation has reached a very critical degree.
- Respirators are available, and rumors of a shortage are not true.
- Many retired men and women in the health sector have returned to work to support their colleagues
- The technical team will submit a report to the Supreme Committee in the coming days to take a decision on visiting Dhofar Governorate
Undersecretary of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology
- Flights between the Sultanate and India are restricted to bringing back Omani citizens, transporting health personnel, shipping goods, and facilitating the return of Indian citizens to their country
- We cannot close the airport. The primary objective of operating aircraft to India is to transport passengers from Oman.
- The Civil Aviation Authority continues to implement the decisions of the Supreme Committee by issuing the necessary circulars to companies. The suspension of some flights is based on SC decisions.
Director-General of Disease Surveillance and Control, Ministry of Health
- There are worrisome mutations of the virus, which are the British, Southern African, Brazilian and Indian ones.. Also seven others
- We have detected alpha, delta and beta variants in the Sultanate, and the delta variant is the most dangerous because of its rapid spread.
- The Sultanate is currently witnessing the highest levels of the epidemiological curve. We hope the number of cases will decline during the coming period
- The rate of spread of the virus has increased by about 80% during the current wave due to mutated strains
- Community gathering is the main basis for the spread of this epidemic, and we saw hundreds of weddings where guests did not wear masks.
- We have been noticing an increase in the percentage of infections at the level of all age groups, especially the age group from 30 to 50 years with some other infections reported among children aged 12 years and below
- There are still no vaccinations for children below 12 years old
- It has been proved globally that the spread of Covid-19 is not attributed to schools but to non-compliance with precautionary measures
- We conducted an extensive study and saw the partial (evening) closure has been effective in reducing cases. There are many considerations when deciding on the closure
- Test positivity rate has reached 12% in the Sultanate
- An emergency use license has also been granted in the Sultanate for four vaccines, namely Pfizer-Biontech, Oxford/AstraZeneca, Sputnik and Sinovac.
Director-General of Trade, Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion
- Forming a technical team to monitor the extent to which commercial establishments adhere to precautionary measures
Director of Infectious Diseases Control at the Ministry of Health
- More than 82,000 people have been vaccinated in government institutions
- Vaccination will be a condition for entering schools and other government institutions in the future
- The new target groups within the national campaign for immunization will be announced next week
Director-General of Operations at the Royal Oman Police
- We detected some forged Covid-19 examination certificates at Muscat Airport from travelers outside the Sultanate, and they were dealt in line with the decisions of the Supreme Committee
Director-General of Health Services for the Governorate of Muscat
- Drive-thru vaccination service will resume next week
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
