Oman has ordered 200,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine from Johnson & Johnson, amid rising concern as infections continue to increase, the health minister said.
"The situation is worrying and painful because since mid-January the [infection] numbers have started to escalate. Intensive care units are under pressure again," Health Minister Dr Ahmed Al Saeedi said on Thursday.
The minister said beaches and parks would remain closed indefinitely.
“People still don’t grasp the concept of Covid-19 and they don’t see what is going around the world," Dr Al Saeedi said.
"Some of them even refuse to get a vaccination, for reasons we don't understand, despite our assurances that vaccination is safe and good for them."
The Ministry of Health reported 288 cases of Covid-19 on Thursday, bringing the total in the sultanate to 140,588.
Four people died from the virus on Thursday, raising the death toll to 1,562.
The number of patients being treated in hospital rose by 29 to 192 over the previous 24 hours, including 68 in intensive care units.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be offered to people below the age of 66 and school teachers, according to the health ministry.
The first and second consignments of vaccines received by Oman were only available to over-65s, people with underlying medical issues and medical staff.
The sultanate began its inoculation campaign with Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines on December 7, reaching 30,000 people.
The second phase of vaccinations kicked off this month with 100,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, made under licence by the Serum Institute of India.
Oman on Thursday imposed a 15-day ban on entry for travellers from 10 countries, in efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus – in particular certain mutated strains.
The countries on the list are: Sudan, Lebanon, South Africa, Brazil, Nigeria, Tanzania, Ghana, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Ethiopia.
Oman introduced a seven-day mandatory hotel quarantine for all arrivals on February 15.
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Virat Kohli (c), Mayank Agarwal, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wk), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Shubman Gill
A new relationship with the old country
Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates
The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:
ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.
ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.
ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.
DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.
Signed
Geoffrey Arthur Sheikh Zayed
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
