Oman's rural towns resist Covid vaccination over side-effect fears

Despite government and scientific approval, unchecked social media posts cause Omanis to fear the vaccine

The town of Sur on the coast of the Gulf of Oman. Alamy

Residents of rural towns in Oman are resisting vaccination, mainly because of concerns over possible adverse reactions.

Maryam Al Badi, 32, woke up early and rushed to her car after finishing her chores and drove straight to the government clinic of her hometown, which is about 30 kilometres from her home.

She parked her car when she reached the clinic but did not get out. There were only a few cars in the parking space and that dimmed her confidence.

"I changed my mind about vaccinating myself," the teacher said.

“The vaccination is new and I am afraid it may have some adverse effects. Many people in my hometown of AlKhaboora did not turn up fearing the same thing.

“Why else is the government clinic not overcrowded with people keen to take the vaccination?”

Mrs Al Badi is not the only one with that fear. Other people from smaller towns have similar concerns about uptake of the vaccine and the time taken to produce it.

“I will wait until the end of the year and then get myself vaccinated. By then, I will know if there are any side effects,” said Khadija Al Farsi, 39, who lives in the eastern coastal town of Sur.

“I have three young children and an old mother to look after and I don’t want anything to happen to me with a vaccine that has backfired.”

Hundreds of governments and scientific bodies have assured the public that approved vaccines are safe. Although vaccines such as the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on offer in Oman were approved at speed, they did not miss any of the essential steps to ensure safety.

The teams were able to work at a faster pace than most vaccine development because of a huge boost in funding and volunteer vaccine testing participants.

A statement issued by Oman’s committee responsible for Covid-19 urged everyone to take the vaccination.

“The Pfizer vaccination, like other vaccinations approved by the World Health Organisation, is very safe with no side effects. We urge all citizens and residents to get vaccinated to protect themselves and others without hesitation,” the statement, broadcast on Oman Television, said.

Oman’s Ministry of Health said it would start a second batch of vaccinations soon, without giving the exact date. Its inoculation programme began on December 27, covering 15,000 people mainly in the capital Muscat.

Health experts say rural communities are increasingly susceptible to misinformation by word of mouth and social media, raising fears for uptake of the vaccine in the second inoculation drive.

“Older people in rural areas still rely on word of mouth, which is circulating very fast among them,” said Dr Halima Al Mawly, 66, a retired medical practitioner.

“They sit in the open courtyards every evening and over coffee, one of the topics they discuss is the side effects of the vaccination. The younger generation then respond with what they have read on social media. The whole thing takes a different spin from what they are assured by the government.”

Oman has mapped out a plan to vaccinate three million people by the end of this year. But challenges remain as to whether people in rural areas would go for it or not.

But a local volunteer in the town of Duqm in central Oman, 600km from Muscat, is poised to start a campaign in his hometown to convince his neighbours to take the vaccine.

“I am going to start a social media campaign and even do speeches in a town hall and Women’s Association headquarters in Duqm urging people to go and get vaccinated,” said Saida Al Junaibi, 23, a commerce degree student at the Sultan Qaboos University.

“I am now trying to rope in enough volunteers of different ages to help me out with the campaign. Hopefully, other volunteers in other smaller towns in Oman will follow.”

Oman reported 154 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday and two new deaths. The total number of infected people in the country is now 133,407 while 1,524 have died from the pandemic. The total recovery cases has reached 126,409. The number of Covid-19 patients in hospital is 94, of whom 32 are in intensive care.