Armed with 100,000 vials of the Oxford Astrazeneca vaccine, the Sultanate will begin its second round of vaccinations that will focus on new target groups in the community.

Receiving the vaccine will largely depend on whether you fall within the target group. As per the Ministry of Health, the new inoculation campaign will focus on people who are of the ages 65 and above.

The Sultanate Receives 100,000 Doses Of Oxford AstraZeneca Vaccine

This will cover citizens and residents across all Governorates within these age groups irrespective of whether they suffer from chronic diseases or are healthy.

• The ministry will begin administering the vaccines from February 7, 2021.

The MOH statement read: “The campaign in this period is targeting elderlies aged 65 and above in all the Sultanate’s Governorates, regardless of whether they are healthy or suffering from any chronic diseases. The vaccine will be given at the previously assigned immunisation centres in each respective Governorates.”

The Ministry of Health received 100,000 doses of Oxford Astrazeneca vaccine from the friendly Republic of India, which is manufactured by Serum Institute of India, on January 31.

Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed al-Saeedi

The Minister of Health, Dr. Ahmed Al Saidi, indicated that the Serum Institute of India is one of the largest vaccine factories in the world. He stressed that the step to obtain the vaccine promotes the global efforts aimed at overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic and making the vaccine available for all people around the world.

Furthermore, Al-Saidi pointed out that the vaccine will provide protection for all, and its effectiveness, safety and results have been laboratory-confirmed. He added that it is important to have an interval of at least four weeks between the first and second dose when taking the AstraZeneca vaccine.

He also asserted that it is not possible for those who have received the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to receive the second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine. He clarified that the initial evidence showed that the new strain of COVID-19 responds to treatment with the various vaccines manufactured for tackling the pandemic.