Vials with a sticker reading, COVID-19 / Coronavirus vaccine / Injection only and a medical syringe are seen in front of a displayed AstraZeneca logo in this illustration taken October 31, 2020. (Reuters)
Oman’s health minister on Monday said the country is set to receive 100,00 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine within one week, according local media reports.
Over 27,000 people have received the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and 7,992 received the second dose, the Times of Oman reported, citing Oman’s Ministry of Health.
Read the latest updates in our dedicated coronavirus section.
“The Sultanate will not import any medicine without ensuring that the medicine is safe, and the Sultanate is in compliance with health standards and requirements,” the Times of Oman quoted Ahmed bin Mohammad Al Saidi, Oman’s Minister of Health, as saying.
“The lives of [Oman’s] citizens are the most important,” he added.
The Gulf country on Sunday extended the closure of its land borders for another week until Feb. 1, to curb the spread of the coronavirus, according to a decision by the Gulf state’s coronavirus emergency committee, state news agency ONA reported.
Last month, Oman launched its COVID-19 vaccination campaign, with the sultanate’s health minister receiving the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
The government also announced on Sunday it will bar expatriates from certain jobs in an effort to create more employment opportunities for its citizens amid an economic downturn due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Neighboring Gulf country Saudi Arabia is set to receive 3 million AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine doses priced at $5.25 each in about one week from the Serum Institute of India (SII), the British drugmaker’s chief executive told Reuters on Monday.
- With agencies.
Read more:
Coronavirus: Oman launches national COVID-19 vaccine campaign
Coronavirus: Oman extends land border closure to curb COVID-19 outbreak
Oman bars expats from certain jobs amid economic downturn due to coronavirus
