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

Following are the members who are attending the press conference:

H.E Dr. Ahmed Mohammed Al Saeedi- Minister of Health, Member of the Supreme Committee on Covid 19

H.E Salim Mohammed Al- Nuami- Undersecretary of Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology for Transport , in charge of steering Civil Aviation Authority

Brigadier Mohammed Nasser Al -Kindi- Director General of Operations , ROP

Mubarak Mohammed Al Duhani– Director General of Trade, Ministry of Commerce , Industry and Investment Promotion

Dr. Said Salim Al Abri- Director General of Diseases Surveillance and Control , Ministry of Health

Dr. Thamra Saeed Al Ghafri– Acting Director General of Health Services in Muscat Governorate

Bader Saif Al Rawahy– Director of Communicable Diseases, Ministry of Health

Excerpts from the press conference:

Minister of Health: The pandemic continues to wreck havoc. We don’t know when this will end.

Minister of Health: There is no justice in comparing the number of deaths with other countries because each country has a mechanism and criteria for calculating… We will not give up transparency.

Minister of Health: The numbers are very alarming and frightening, and this wave is the worst and most continuous. The situation in the health sector has become exhausting for everyone.

Minister of Health: 1,515,130 doses of Covid-19 vaccines have reached the Sultanate so far.

Minister of Health: There are questions, what has the Ministry of Health done to qualify for this pandemic… A year has passed and we have not seen anything? These allegations are unfair.

Minister of Health: The Sultanate only allows the use of safe vaccines

Minister of Health: 3.2 million Covid-19 vaccines will reach the Sultanate from the beginning of next month until the end of September.

Minister of Health: It is incorrect to say that there are no respirators in the Sultanate’s hospitals, the number of available respirators is 1,144, and the number of oxygen concentrators is 85, and the oxygen factories have the energy to produce our needs and more.

Minister of Health: It is reported that the Minister of Health blames the citizens… God forbid… but it is our professional duty to advise people to abide by the procedures.

Minister of Health: We aim to vaccinate all target groups with a dose of the vaccine before the end of August

Minister of Health: Partial closure is feasible and the simplest example was in Dhofar. During Ramadan, cases were very high and when the decision was taken to close, the cases dropped.

Minister of Health: The Sultanate will not allow the use of any vaccination or medical equipment until after ensuring its safety and effectiveness, and this does not prevent the occurrence of side effects.

Salim Mohammed Al Nuaimi: Some of the excluded categories for those coming from India are Omani citizens, medical staff and shipment. We cannot close the airport. The primary objective of operating aircraft to India is to transport passengers from Oman.

Minister of Health: There are questions about what will happen to those who refuse to take the vaccination and they are from the targeted groups, and it is a subject under discussion in several bodies, including the Supreme Committee, and everyone knows that most of the deaths during the month of April were for people over the age of sixty years who refused to be vaccinated.

Minister of Health: The number of inpatients with Covid-19 disease in intensive care units has exceeded 464 cases, explaining that the number of doctors who have been attracted since the beginning of the pandemic has reached 2,064 despite the global shortage of professionals in this sector.

Minister of Health: Rumors against vaccination will be held accountable by law.

Minister of Health: It was announced that pregnant women should be given priority in vaccination for obvious reasons. Yesterday, 40 pregnant women were found in the intensive care units and there was a danger to them and the fetus… We call on them to go to the vaccination centers to protect themselves and their families.

Dr. Saif Al-Abri: A global system was established to monitor virus mutations, and the Sultanate is part of this initiative and participates in genetic sequencing.

Dr. Saif Al Abri: The rate of spread of the virus has increased by about 80% during the current wave in the Sultanate due to mutated strains.

Brigadier General Mohammed bin Nasser Al Kindi: The police recorded violations against commercial establishments and gatherings in private and public places.

‎Brigadier Nasser Al Kindi: Since the beginning of the pandemic, the wilayats and governorates of the Sultanate have witnessed the implementation of the decisions taken by the Supreme Committee, especially those related to preventing the movement of individuals and vehicles in varying periods.

Mubarak bin Mohammed Al-Dohani, Director General of Commerce at the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion: We are forming a technical team with the participation of a number of government agencies, based on the directives of the Supreme Committee, to monitor the extent to which commercial establishments adhere to the implementation of precautionary measures.

Dr. Saif Al-Abri: Globally, it has not been proven that the cause of the spread of the epidemic is schools, but rather the reason for the spread of the epidemic is a failure to adhere to the precautionary measures

Dr. Saif Al-Abri: The epidemiological situation is very difficult, yesterday only 8,000 laboratory tests were carried out for Covid, and the positivity rate is 23%.

Minister of Health: We hope to supply 3 million doses of vaccinations before the end of September, and by the end of the year, the Sultanate will have received 6.5 million doses.

Dr. Saif Al-Abri: When making decisions, there is a certain method, and in the Sultanate we have the national plan for preparedness and response to Covid 19. We conducted an extensive study for a year.. and the efficiency and effectiveness of the partial closure were proven.

Dr. Saif Al Abri: Community spread is the basis for the spread of this epidemic, and we have seen hundreds of weddings without wearing masks.


Mohammed Nasser Al Kindi: The Royal Oman Police thanks everyone for the cooperation it has received from citizens and residents in implementing the decisions, which reflects the community’s interest and awareness of the dangers of this epidemic and the community’s desire to get out with the least losses.

Mohammed Nasser Al Kindi: The police have been using modern technologies to facilitate the transactions and services they provide to the public, and were able during the past period to provide most of the services electronically, which contributed to limiting the movement of community members to service centers.

Minister of Health: The government’s priorities are the health of the citizens and the residents. Decisions are made based on recommendations and I mentioned that and the health situation has reached a very critical degree.

Mubarak Al Duhani: At this stage, we are tightening control over the institutions’ commitment to precautionary measures so that we do not reach a total closure.

Dr. Saif Al Abri: We began to notice an increase in the number of infected people in all age groups, and it may be due to the mutated virus (Delta).

Minister of Health: The technical team will submit a report to the Supreme Committee in the coming days to take a decision on visiting the Dhofar Governorate.

Dr. Saif Al-Abri: Receiving the vaccine may become a condition in the coming period for entering government and educational institutions and commercial centers.

Director General of Operations at Royal Oman Police: Some forged PCR certificates were discovered, they were about to travel at the airport, and they were dealt with accordingly.

Dr. Thamra bint Saeed Al Ghafriya: Vaccination service inside the car was stopped it for a week, but we will restart it next week.

Director General of Operations, Royal Oman Police: Some forged PCR examination certificates were discovered at Muscat International Airport and were dealt with according to the procedures of the Supreme Committee. The work on the QR “electronic passport code” is presently being studied.

Dr. Saif Al Abri: ‎An emergency use license has been granted for 4 vaccines in the Sultanate, and they are all safe.

Minister of Health: Most countries in the world are still committed to examining Corona, even those who are vaccinated with both doses. Vaccinations do not protect 100 percent from infection with the disease, but when they are exposed to the disease, it is less dangerous and less fatal. The Sultanate will not exclude anyone from receiving vaccinations, and a strategy has been developed for that,