Muscat: The Sultanate received today [January 31] at the Ministry headquarters 100,000 doses of Oxford Astrazeneca vaccine from the friendly Republic of India, which is manufactured by Serum Institute of India.

In the handover ceremony, Dr. Ahmed Mohammed Al-Saidi, Minister of Health represented the Sultanate while Munu Mahawar, Ambassador of the Republic of India to the Sultanate represented the Government of India.

Dr. Ahmed expressed his thanks to the friendly Indian government for providing the doses of the vaccine against COVID-19 to the Sultanate.

He welcomed the Government of India’s gesture to provide 100,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and commended the cooperation between the two countries. He lauded India’s leading role in the global fight against COVID-19 and the support that India has been extending to its friends and partners in their efforts.

The Minister of Health 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.

The Minister of Health assured that it is not possible for those who have received the first dose of 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 Covid-19.

Upon his turn, Munu Mahawar, Ambassador of the Republic of India to the Sultanate highlighted the strong cooperation between both countries in the wake of COVID19 and stated, “India has always shouldered global responsibility at times of crisis and is a dependable & reliable friend of Oman”.

The Ambassador expressed his thanks and appreciations to the Sultanate’s government under the leadership of His Majesty Sultan Haitham Bin Tarik for taking good care of Indian nationals during the pandemic.

It is worth mentioning that India’s Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and Oman’s Ministry of Health have conducted a training program, covering administrative and operational aspects, prior to the delivery of the vaccine, for Oman’s Ministry of Health officials.