COVID-19: MOH to conduct national survey in Oman

Oman Sunday 05/July/2020 15:21 PM
By: Times News Service
COVID-19: MOH to conduct national survey in Oman

Muscat: The Sultanate, represented by the Ministry of Health, will carry out an investigative countrywide survey on coronavirus (Covid-19) infection from 12 July 2020.
The survey will cover all governorates of the Sultanate and it will be a serialised segmental survey.
Specimens will be collected from members of the population across all age-groups, including expatriates.
The survey mainly seeks to measure the extent of prevalence of Covid-19 infection in the Omani society as part of the national strategy for the upcoming period.
Results of the survey will be used as indicators to the time when restrictions to movement can be lifted and when all services and activities can be opened in the country.
Other goals of the study include assessing the spread of infection in terms of age-groups, non-diagnosed cases, level of infection per wilayat, proportion of dormant infections, total number of infections, ratio of living standard to infection propagation in the wilayats and assessing the extent of pandemic proliferation in lockdown areas, compared to non-locked areas.
The survey will be carried out in four rounds, 5 days each, with two-week intervals in a span of 10 weeks.
The specimens will be collected in random order and according to population data provided by the National Centre for Statistics and Information.
Information will be collected via Tarassud programme and it will cover demographical data, the type of Covid-19 antibodies in the blood, disease history, social status and symptoms.
While lab testing continues to register new cases of infection, it has become necessary to conduct a national survey of antibodies, which will reveal the actual prevalence of infection in the society and cumulative level of infection in all segments of the society.
The suvey is considered a means of gauging immunity in the population and an effective method of monitoring the spread of the disease.