No Covid-19 patients at Oman’s biggest hospital for first time in 18 months

Sultanate reports no virus-related deaths for five days

The Royal Hospital in Muscat, Oman. Saleh Al Shaibany for The National

Oman’s biggest hospital on Thursday said it had no patients with coronavirus in its care – for the first time in 18 months.

The state-owned Royal Hospital in Muscat on Wednesday discharged the last patient being treated for Covid-19.

“From over 2,000 beds dedicated for Covid-19 patients, the Royal Hospital has no coronavirus patients as of Thursday. The last infected patient was discharged on Wednesday," the ministry of health announced on state television.

"The ministry of health is cautioning Omanis and residents to maintain the usual precaution guidelines,” it said.

The sultanate has now reported no deaths from the virus for five consecutive days.

On Thursday, 22 new cases were reported from other hospitals around the country.

Oman has recorded 294,742 cases since the pandemic started, along with 4,093 coronavirus deaths.

The highest number of daily infections in the country was recorded on June 29 this year when 2,234 people tested positive for the virus.

Oman went into a series of lockdowns between May and August and a travel ban was issued, affecting 12 countries.

This week, Britain removed the sultanate from its red list of travel destinations, after nearly two months of strict requirements for visitors to the UK.

Oman on Monday also lifted its own ban on travel to Iraq and Iran that had been in place since August 17.