Muscat: The Ministry of Health(MoH) in Oman on Thursday announced the registration of 38 new cases of Covid 19, bringing the total number of infected in the Sultanate to 457, including 2 deaths.
Dr Ahmed al Saeedi, Minister of Health, at a press conference on Thursday said 33 patients with Covid-19 are receiving care at hospitals as of this morning. Several cases have recorded among students returning from abroad as well as those in contact with them.
The minister added that we are yet to reach the peak of infections and it is clear that the spread of Covid-19 in the Sultanate is on the rise.
On the positive side, according to the Health Minister, the mortality rate in the Sultanate is less compared to other countries. There are 109 covid-19 patients who have recovered completely in Oman. As per the directives of His Majesty, the government provides free treatment to all communities and inpatients with Covid-19 at the Royal Hospital are mostly expatriates, the minister clarified.
Oman is yet to start testing people who show no symptoms of Covid-19.
"All essential and cargo flight services are continuing as usual. We have sufficient stocks of medical supplies based on the current situation. A shipment carrying a number of solutions for use in medical laboratories arrived in the Sultanate this morning," said the Minster of Health.
Many solutions have arrived from China and the government will conduct more tests across Oman.
The minister also said MoH is providing institutional isolation for those who do not have the appropriate facility for domestic isolation.
To ensure the safety of medical workers, Oman has also started producing masks and other safety equipment locally.
Dr Saif al Abri, Director General of Diseases Surveillance & Control at the Ministry of Health said Covid-19 examinations will be intensified at the national level, and new procedures will be launched within the next two weeks. He affirmed that Sultanate's health institutions have the capacity to accommodate the growing number of Covid-19 cases.
"Most of the cases are in Muscat, Bausher, Seeb and Muttrah, and the highest percentage of local transmission is in Muttrah. So far we have recorded 206 cases only in Muttrah, including 160 expatriates. 31 out of 38 cases recorded today are from Muttrah," Dr Saif explained.
DG of Operations at ROP said people's movement from and to Muscat will be limited and we request the public to understand the main reason behind the lockdown.
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
