WHO hails Sultanate's fight against Covid-19

Muscat: The Ministry of Health (MoH) on Monday announced 1,605 new cases of Covid-19 in the Sultanate, 684 among them are Omanis, and 921 residents.

Today’s spike brought the total number of positive cases in the Sultanate to 31,076. This is also the biggest single-day jump of the Coronavirus cases. The ministry also reported six new deaths, taking the total death toll to 137.

This comes at a time when the World Health Organisation praised the Sultanate's use of technology to control the Covid-19 and reduce its spread.

The WHO stated in a report published by the ‘WHO EMRO’ on its website that Oman has launched some of the most powerful technological solutions deployed to date in the Middle East to track the movement and spread of Covid-19 and ensure patient compliance with isolation measures, in an effort to contain the disease in the country.

"Named Tarassud Plus, the system is a combination of a mobile application using artificial intelligence, with enhanced features that include up-to-date Covid-19 statistics, guidelines and best practices to prevent the spread of infection," it added.

The application also enables access to medical hotlines and support staff so that patients can discuss their symptoms and be directed to facilities where they can access care. Once patients are diagnosed, a medical tracking bracelet connected to the application ensures that they stay at home for the duration of their quarantine or isolation period," it said.

Dr Jaffar Hussain, acting WHO representative to Oman, commented “As nations around the world emerge from lockdowns, we must remain vigilant only through widespread testing, contact tracing, and surveillance of the virus can we ensure that infection curves stay flat and lives are saved.”

The WHO also praised that the application is available in many languages to address different communities living in Oman. It says "the application is available in Arabic, English, Hindi, Bengali, and Urdu, in an effort to cater to both citizens and residents in Oman. It has been downloaded tens of thousands of times."

Dr Adil al Wahaibi, Director of Surveillance in the Ministry pointed, "Information is crucial if we are to effectively fight the Coronavirus, and this kind of epidemiological data will help us better understand how it spreads while limiting new infections.”