Monday 09 / June / 2025
Muscat: Ignoring the precautionary measures adopted to stop the spread of COVID-19 in Oman has led to a more than 100 percent rise in hospital admissions, despite a recent ban on many commercial activities after 8pm.
Altogether 1,633 people have died from the disease over a year as four more deaths were reported on Tuesday. A senior official at the Ministry of Health told theTimes of Oman that many people continue to gather in private, despite being asked not to do so.
“We notice that the reason behind the daily increase in COVID-19 cases, whether in numbers of daily infections, hospitalisations, or even in intensive care, is due to the lack of commitment of some citizens and residents towards following the precautionary measures.”
“They are sometimes seen gathering at farms, in their homes, on the roads, and in playgrounds,” he added.
“This is in addition to a failure to adhere to the health protocols during institutional and home quarantine, as well as some refusing to wear masks and washing their hands.”
Over the past month, ICU cases have surged by 77.9 per cent, from 59 on February 23 to 105 on March 23. Similarly, the number of patients admitted to hospital on 23 March was 364, a 112 per cent increase compared to the 171 on 23 February, the same date last month.
The number of daily cases also shot up by 181 per cent from 297 on February 23 to 836 on March 23, bringing the total number to 152,364, according to the Tarassud coronavirus monitoring app.
Compared to January 24, 2021, when there were just 26 patients in ICU, this is an increase of more than 300 per cent. Data analyst Ibrahim Al Maimani prepared a number of graphs based on COVID to create awareness of the disease. He asked people to follow prevention protocols, if the disease is to be kept at bay.
“The reason for this rise in cases, ICU admissions and people taken to hospital is because some people do not seem to comply with the decisions of the Supreme Committee and the Ministry of Health,” he said.
“There are so many authorities that spread awareness of the importance of practices like not gathering, wearing masks, washing one’s hands, and following quarantine procedures, so I advise everyone to follow them,” he added. To better explain his points, Al Maimani compared the data 20 days prior to when the decision to close businesses early was taken, to the data 20 days after this measure.
“From February 12 to March 3, 2021, the total numbers of cases reached 5,905, with an average of 295 daily cases, but if we compare this to the period after the closure, the numbers of cases stood at 9,839, or a daily average of 492 new infections.”
“Therefore, it becomes clear that the difference between the case rate before and after closure is an additional 197 cases daily,” he explained.
“Another reason for this is that in the evening, many people congregate in large numbers in shops around closing time, because they have gone there to buy things. These gatherings contribute to the spread of COVID, and if this continues then there will be increased chances of catching the virus.”
