Oman Gives Approval For Emergency Use of Sputnik V And Sinovac

Oman grants emergency authorization for the use of Russia’s Sputnik V and China’s Sinovac vaccines, raising the total number of approved COVID-19 doses to four.

The approval was granted as the sultanate is aiming to vaccinate all the target groups with one dose of vaccine by August.

The Minister of Health Dr Ahmed Al Saeedi made this announcement at a press conference held by the Supreme Committee of Oman.

Saif Salim Al-Abri, Director-General of Disease Surveillance and Control at the Ministry of Health, said that apart from two vaccines – Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford/AstraZeneca – Sinivac and Sputnik will also be offered in the country.

He further stated that there are several forms of the virus, including the Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta variants. “The Delta variant is the most dangerous because of its rapid spread,” Dr Al Abri said. The main reasons for the spread of COVID-19 in Oman are family gatherings and non-compliance with preventive measures, he stated.

One more Target Group Added

Pregnant women were the newest target group to be added to the vaccination campaign. The Ministry of Health urged pregnant women, who are in their fourth month of pregnancy or over, to get vaccinated.

Strict surveillance and penalty measures have also been implemented to slow down the spread of the virus. Brigadier General Mohammad Bin Nasser Al Kindi, Director-General of Operations at the Royal Oman Police (ROP) stated that the ROP has registered infractions against commercial businesses as well as people gathering in private and public places.

Meanwhile, a top official at the Ministry of Transport, Communications, and Information Technology stated that flights between Oman and India are confined to returning citizens, conveying health personnel, shipping goods, and assisting the return of Indian citizens.

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