Positive Covid cases fell to 1% from 25%

MUSCAT: There is a steady improvement in the Sultanate’s epidemiological situation as per the the statistics and data released by the Ministry of Health. The Sultanate has kept the pandemic under control, with positive cases declining sharply to 1 per cent from an earlier average of 25 per cent.

This was stated by Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed al Saeedi, Minister of Health, during a meeting with ambassadors, heads of diplomatic missions and international agencies at the Diplomatic Club here on Wednesday.

During the meeting, organised in cooperation with the Foreign Ministry, Dr Al Saeedi briefed the gathering on the efforts exerted by the government to address Covid-19 pandemic. He laid emphasis on the precautionary measures taken at Oman border checkpoints, as mandated by the Supreme Committee tasked with tackling developments resulting from coronavirus (Covid-19) and preventing its spread.

In a statement to Oman News Agency (ONA) and Oman TV, Dr Al Saeedi said that the Covid-19 Supreme Committee deemed it necessary to update ambassadors, heads of diplomatic missions and international agencies on the epidemiological situation in the Sultanate which, he affirmed, is improving significantly.

The minister said he requested the envoys to convey the reality of the situation in the Sultanate to their respective countries so that the Sultanate’s name could be lifted from the list of high-hazard states.

During the meeting, the minister added that the Sultanate endorses the principle of transparency when dealing with the number of infected cases. He urged all to ignore rumours and misleading information (disseminated by media abroad) and stick to established facts about the Sultanate’s efforts to curb the pandemic.

In advice to citizens and residents in Oman, Dr Al Saeedi stressed the need to abide by precautionary measures. He said that vaccination is one way of controlling the virus. Other basic measures include wearing face masks and maintaining physical distance, he added.

The vaccination campaign is progressing well. He thanked citizens and residents for taking vaccination seriously, noting that this approach protects people from complications and hospitalisation, if they happen to catch the disease.

The minister told the media that the Ministry of Health will provide the Foreign Ministry with facts and figures about the epidemiological situation in Oman so that these could be conveyed to the embassies of countries which have put Oman in the list of high-risk countries.

On his turn, Dr Saif bin Salim al Abri, Director-General of Disease Surveillance and Control Department at the Ministry of Health, gave a presentation on the epidemiological curve since the outbreak of the pandemic. He also reviewed the National Campaign for Immunisation against Covid-19.

Dr Saif pointed out that the Sultanate conducted 25 million Covid-19 tests and that no infected case required admission to the intensive care unit on Tuesday.

Speaking about the rate of vaccination, Dr Saif said that 75 per cent of target groups received the first dose of vaccination, while 42 per cent of them took two doses.

A number of ambassadors commended the Sultanate’s efforts in addressing the pandemic, notably the vaccination campaigns that the country has undertaken.

— ONA