As a result of the recent spike in COVID-19 cases, the number of cases admitted in intensive care units in the sultanate has increased 50 per cent over the weekend.

Oman reported 633 new cases of COVID-19 and two deaths on Sunday. The Ministry of Health (MoH) announced that 43 patients were in hospitals for intensive care on the first day of the working week. On Thursday, the ministry registered 29 patients in ICUs. 

With this, the total number of COVID-19 cases in the sultanate has touched 135,674, while the number of recoveries stands at 127,698, accounting for 94.1 per cent of those infected. The total number of COVID-19 related deaths is 1,534, the MoH informed. 

According to the ministry, 16 COVID-19 patients were hospitalised over the last 24 hours, adding up to a total of 120 of which 43 are in ICUs. 

MoH launched a campaign targetting a new segment of the community as part of its COVID-19 national immunisation drive using the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. 

The campaign targets people aged 65 and older in all the governorates of the sultanate irrespective of their health condition. The two-dose vaccine, administered in an interval of four weeks, is given at designated immunisation centres. 

Individuals who have received the first dose of the Pfizer-bioNTech vaccine will not be given the Oxford-AstraZeneca. The MoH will announce the date for the second dose of the Pfizer-bioNTech vaccine later.