MUSCAT: With the Ministry of Health inviting private sector companies in the country to enrol their employees to take the COVID-19 vaccine, many employers are pulling out all the stops for their workers to get vaccinated. 

Speaking to The Arabian Stories, top hospitals have also confirmed that they are receiving enquiries and registrations from firms for vaccination. “The response from them (firms) is overwhelming. This is a positive sign to contain the spread of the virus,” said a director of a private hospital in Muscat.

Early in May, MOH allowed the companies operating in the private sector to reserve COVID-19 vaccines for their staff. Companies will have to pay the cost of the vaccine, OMR 20 per dose, and an additional fee of OMR 3 to hospitals for administering the jab.

“We have registered our staff already through the Ministry of Health and they are starting the vaccination drive in 10 days time,” said Reena Abdulrahman, Chief Operating Officer of Alhind Travel and Tours. “We want to create an environment where you feel comfortable and it’s like it used to be at the office,” Reena added. 

Baer Al Rawahi, Director of the Department of Infectious Diseases Control at MOH said vaccines may become mandatory for entering government and educational institutions in the future. “Taking vaccines may become a condition for entering educational and governmental institutions in the future,” Al Rawahi opined in an interview with Oman TV.

According to Sreeram Jayanth, an engineer based in Muscat said companies must consider vaccines as a pre-requirement for employees. “I think there are many employers that would like to mandate but since there is no law as such, it would be difficult,” Jayanth added. 

Oman’s total coronavirus cases touched 226,648, while the death cases reached 2,434. 

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