Tuesday 16 / April / 2024
Muscat: Infection rates from COVID-19 are at their lowest in Oman since April 2020, directly leading to no recorded deaths of patients from the disease in 18 days of October of this year, an analyst in the country has said.
Social activist and data analyst Ibrahim Al Maimani told the Times of Oman exclusively that at the rate of about 17 people testing positive every day for COVID during October, there were 522 new infections reported last month. Recoveries, on the other hand, were far higher: 1,800 people recovered from the virus last month, at an average of nearly 60 people a day.
“The infection rate is the lowest we have seen since April 2020, and it is worth noting that the recovery rate is three and a half times higher than that of the rate of infection,” he added. “As a result of this, active infections in October dropped to just 548 people, and caused the recovery rate to stay at 98.5 per cent.”
15 people died from COVID in October, at the rate of one every two days, but an important observation is that for 18 days last month, no deaths were recorded. On 11 days, one daily death was seen, while two deaths were reported on two days in October. This is significantly lower than September, where 32 people died from the disease.
Al Maimani added that hospitalisation rates pertaining to COVID also fell. Inpatient numbers fell by 77 per cent, as did the number of people admitted with coronavirus-related issues to intensive care.
“While there were 30 people in hospitals at the end of September, there were only seven patients by the end of October,” he explained. “Similarly, ICU numbers have also fallen by 82 per cent, dropping from 17 admissions to just three, over the past month.”
Hospital numbers in the 24 hours leading to Sunday, October 31, 2021, have fallen even further: there were only five patients in hospitals as of yesterday.
“No new hospitalisation of patients has been recorded over two separate 24-hours intervals in the last 10 days: October 21 and October 31,” said Al Maimani. “This is a very good indicator, as the number of COVID patients hospitalised has a direct impact on other admissions that can take place. This is also a positive reflection on less dependency on intensive care, and of course, proof that there are far less people likely to pass away from COVID-19.”
Despite the drop in infection rates, hospitalisations and deaths, the Ministry of Health continues to remind people of the need to follow COVID-19 precautions.
“With a commitment to wearing masks and maintaining social and physical distancing, we will prevent ourselves, our families, and our community from spreading the coronavirus,” said the ministry in its daily advisory.
Figures released by MOH show that 50 new infections were recorded from Thursday to Saturday, while recoveries seen were a bit more, at 52. No deaths, however, have taken place during this period. However, 4,111 people in Oman have succumbed to the disease since the start of the pandemic. 299,632 people have recovered from COVID-19, out of a total of 304,291 who tested positive. The recovery rate in the country continues to stand steady at 98.5 per cent.
