MUSCAT: The Supreme Committee members are holding a press conference to discuss the latest developments on coronavirus.

The press conference is lead by His Excellency Dr. Ahmed Al Saidi, Minister of Health.

Following are the speakers;

1. HE Dr. Ahmed Al Saidi, Minister of Health
2. Rashid Al Shamsi, Undersecretary of Ministry of Social Development
3. Dr. Saif Al Abri, DG Disease Surveillance and Control — Ministry of Health
4. Dr. Salem Al Tamemi, SQU
5. Major Mohammed Al Hashmi, Royal Oman Police

Excerpts from the press conference:

‎Minister of Health: The epidemiological situation is painful and worrying
Minister of Health:‎ It is unfortunate that from mid-January until now, the numbers began to escalate and the number of inpatients began to take a dangerous turn.
Minister of Health: There are now 68 patients in ICU
Minister of Health: Many of those placed in institutional quarantine evade compliance with sanitary measures.
Minister of Health: The intensive care units have returned to be under constant pressure, and deaths are continuing.
Minister of Health: The Eastern Mediterranean Region is still witnessing an increase in the number of injuries, while other regions have witnessed stability and perhaps a decrease in injuries.
Minister of Health: The situation is dangerous and worrying. Everyone must realize and take responsibility.
Minister of Health: Safety precautions must continue and adherence to the necessary decisions, and unfortunately, there are those who escape from the institutional quarantine!
Minister of Health: Many people have so far relied on social media rumours on vaccines
Minister of Health: Everyone should be aware of the gravity of the situation and help prevent the spread of the epidemic.
Minister of Health: We have reserved 200,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine
Minister of Health: Minister of Health: The Supreme Committee’s decision to prevent travelers coming from several countries at the beginning of this week was due to positive cases reported from travellers some of which has exceeded 20%
Rashid Al Shamsi: Airlines are required to provide a list of travelers coming to the Sultanate to facilitate the institutional quarantine process, based on the decision of the Supreme Committee.
Dr. Salem Al-Tamimi: Vaccinations are one of the best medical interventions to get rid of deadly diseases, and they are better than treatment drugs because they are prevention.
Minister of Health: I appeal to all health workers to go to designated centres to take the Covid-19 vaccine.
Minister of Health: Some people still do not trust the AstraZeneca vaccine and insist on receiving the Pfizer vaccine. Everyone must be reassured that the Sultanate cannot take any step without first making sure of the safety and efficacy of any vaccine and the vaccines are similar with the different manufacturing companies only and the privacy of preserving each medicine.
Dr. Salem Al Tamimi: There are no serious complications that have been reported with recently licensed vaccinations.
Dr. Salem Al Tamimi: Any vaccine with an efficiency of more than 50 percent is considered acceptable by the World Health Organization and specialists.
Major Mohammad Al Hashmi: Royal Oman Police has activated an operations center to report all Covid-19 violations and has also activated a toll-free number 1099 to report any violations.
Minister of Health: Everyone must be reassured of the safety and effectiveness of Covid vaccines
Minister of Health: Once we expand the vaccination after receiving adequate numbers, we will also distribute it to the private sector.
Dr. Saif Al Abri: An epidemiological investigation was conducted to find out the causes of positive cases to some educational staff in schools, as per our investigation, the first infection was not detected from inside the schools, but rather from the community, as a result of lack of commitment to precautionary measures, and by investigation, it became clear that the positive cases came from outside the schools compound.
Dr. Saif Al Abri: There has been a decrease in the number of elderly people in intensive care units in the Sultanate
Dr. Saif Al Abri: Teachers are among the target groups for vaccination when the vaccine is available in sufficient quantities, and now the main goal for the government is to vaccinate the elderly.
Minister of Health: There is still no clear vision in the world about what the epidemiological situation will look like in a month or a month and a half.
Dr. Saif Al Abri: A unified GCC health passport related to Covid-19 is under discussion.
Dr. Saif Al-Abri: Plan is to vaccinate 60 percent of the Sultanate’s population, and the main goal currently is to vaccinate 20 per cent for the most target groups and front line health workers.
Major Mohammed Al Hashmi: The fine for violating the bracelets is OMR 300
Major Mohammed Hashmi: A partnership between the Royal Oman Police, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Social Development to follow up on the institutional quarantine imposed on people coming to the Sultanate, and there is also an electronic application through which these people are followed up.
Major Mohammed Hashmi: We count on society to be careful for its own safety and to cooperate with the police officers and the front line workers and the rest of the authorities to ward off this pandemic.
Major Mohammed Al Hashmi: A significant decrease in the number of violators.
Sheikh Rashid Al Shamsi: Everyone who enters the Sultanate through the land, air and sea ports shall register and wear the bracelet, and the second stage begins by heading to the hotel of his choice to stay in the isolation period.
Dr. Saif bin Salem Al-Abri: 75 percent of the cases recorded last January are related to travel, and it has now decreased between 20 to 40 percent.
Minister of Health: As a result of delay in going to health centers, there were 10 cases yesterday and they were transferred directly to intensive care
Minister of Health: Within a period of less than two months, the number of intensive care patients increased to 70, compared to 20 cases.
Sheikh Rashid Al Shamsi: Those who have been laid off from work may meet the requirements of the Job Safety Fund, and whoever does not apply to it, we are addressing the Ministry of Labour to discuss the possibility of being covered by the assistance.
Major Mohammad Al Hashmi: The decision of the Inspector General of Police and Customs listed penalties for gathering, and any invitation to gathering issued by individuals will be punished by OMR 1500 , and every participant in the gathering will be fined OMR 100 .
Minister of Health: Closing beaches, parks are less economically harmful than closing shops and major commercial centers.
Minister of Health: We do not rule out that we will take additional precautions, if necessary.
Minister of Health: The continuing escalation of cases will affect appointments, the conduct of operations and the care of other patients.
Minister of Health: There is close coordination between the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health, and there is follow-up, and we will take appropriate decisions at the next meeting of the Supreme Committee.
Minister of Health: We call on the necessity to adhere to preventive measures against the virus due to the bitterness and difficulty faced by health workers, and that the increase in infected cases will have a negative impact on patients’ appointments.