Muscat – The Ministry of Health has started administering the third dose of COVID-19 vaccine to expatriates free of charge in the former airport building in Seeb.

Speaking to Muscat Daily, a Ministry of Health (MoH) official said, “The booster dose is free for expats in Muscat.”

He informed that the immunisation centre in Oman Airports’ building in Seeb witnessed a large turnout of residents for the vaccine with prior registration through the Tarassud app.

The Directorate General of Health Services in Buraimi Governorate also announced the availability of the booster dose free of charge for expats, besides the first and second doses for those who haven’t yet taken it, at the Directorate General of Health Services in Buraimi Governorate in Building No 10.

On Sunday, the Directorate General of Health Services in South Batinah Governorate started administering the booster dose free of charge to expats at the Rustaq Sports Complex from 8am to 1.30pm. The drive will continue till Thursday.

Friday prayers

The Government Communication Centre (GCC) has denied rumours circulating in social media regarding suspension of Friday prayers in mosques.

A statement issued by GCC said, ‘There is no truth in what is being circulated about stopping Friday prayers. The post is from the precautionary measures issued in March 2020 in the sultanate. Everyone should take information from official sources.’

Vaccine expiry

The Ministry of Health issued a statement clarifying news circulating on social media platforms about administration of expired vaccine.

A citizen recently tweet about receiving a booster dose against COVID-19 from a bottle past the expiry date.

The ministry stated that the dose administered to the Tweeter user was within the use-by date.
‘Some vaccines have extended validity, based on the latest studies on stability and efficacy, conducted in coordination with manufacturers and regulatory authorities,’ the ministry stated.

176 news cases

The Ministry of Health announced 176 cases of COVID-19 and zero related deaths on Monday. This takes the total number of positive cases in the sultanate to 306,008.

The number of deaths stands at 4,117, while the total number of recoveries has reached 300,532.