Oman to receive COVID-19 vaccine this year, priority for frontline workers

The Ministry of Health is expected to secure 20% of the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine by the end of this year, a top official said on Monday.

Oman has joined the Global Alliance for Vaccination and Immunisation (COVAX), which will provide 10 percent of the required Covid-19 vaccine by the year-end.

Dr. Mohammad bin Saif al Hosni, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health, said in that statement on Sunday that Oman will receive 10 percent of the vaccine from COVAX before the end of this year, and the remaining 10 percent from other vaccine manufacturers in the same period. “This means the Sultanate will have 20 percent of the vaccines before the end of this year. It will be given first to health workers, police, and military personnel who work on the frontline.”

He added that a field hospital is under construction to accommodate Covid-19 patients, reduce the burden on reference hospitals, especially in the Muscat Governorate. It will help restore health services to pre-COVID-19 levels.

Al Hosni, “The hospital will operate begin at the end of this month or early October with a total of 312 beds, including 100 in the first phase. It is attached to a hospital with 324 beds and can be converted into a hospital if the need arises in the future.”

He said the hospital will not receive patients directly and the cases will be referred to it from health centers and the rest of the hospitals.