No serious side effects have been recorded regarding vaccines used in Oman against COVID-19 to date, the Ministry of Health (MoH) said on Sunday . 

Shedding light on the temporary suspension of the AstraZeneca vaccine by some countries, the ministry said it ‘was a precautionary measure taken by those countries to investigate cases of blood clotting observed in some of those who received the vaccine’. 

‘It should be noted that WHO and the European Medicines Agency have stated that there is no direct link between blood clotting and receiving the vaccine;  investigation of the actual cause continues,’ MoH said. 

Stressing on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines used in Oman, the ministry pointed out that there is no preference among the vaccines currently used in the sultanate in terms of efficacy and safety.  

‘Moreover, these vaccines were selected by a specialised technical team that studies vaccines from all aspects based on published studies in prestigious scientific journals as well as recommendations issued by international organisations.’  

The ministry assured that no vaccine is registered for use in Oman until it has been approved by the country of origin or the international regulatory bodies accredited in this regard.