Muscat: The Ministry of Health (MOH), represented by the Directorate General of Pharmaceutical Affairs and Drug Control, has issued a license to import the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for emergency use.

The Directorate General of Pharmaceutical Affairs and Drug Control evaluated the efficacy and safety studies that were provided by the American company Pfizer and concluded that the known potential risks of the vaccine outweigh its expected risks. It has been also approved by the health authorities in the United Kingdom, Canada, and the US Food and Drug Administration, the report said.

The vaccine will be given in two doses, with an interval of three weeks. The studies included safety data available from clinical studies that covered nearly 38, 000 participants.

The vaccine’s effectiveness was followed up for two months after receiving the second dose, and the most common side effects were the same that are associated with any other known vaccines.

A national awareness survey on the Covid-19 vaccine by the Ministry of Health is currently underway, aimed at promoting scientifically-based information and refuting misinformation and rumours by identifying the extent to which the members of the community know about vaccines.

Around 3,000 participants, including Omanis and non-Omanis from all governorates, will be randomly picked for the survey.

MOH said it has identified the priority groups for a vaccination with a strategy to cover 60 per cent of the total target population to prevent the spread of the disease in the Sultanate.

The target group will get vaccines and will be free and people who are highly exposed to risks and complications of the disease will be vaccinated according to priority, including frontline workers, basic service providers, chronic diseases patients, the elderly, and immunocompromised patients with two doses per person.

No law compels a person to have any vaccination except for some groups of children, so the Corona vaccine will not be compulsory. The priorities for the Corona vaccine when it arrives will be the elderly
over 65, diabetes, chronic lung and kidney diseases, front lines in the intensive units, and Covid departments.

MOH has set up a mechanism to distribute vaccines to the governorates of the Sultanate, and we have the experience and knowledge for that with an international certificate.

2020 © All right reserved for Oman Establishment for Press, Publication and Advertising (OEPPA) Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).

Disclaimer: The content of this article is syndicated or provided to this website from an external third party provider. We are not responsible for, and do not control, such external websites, entities, applications or media publishers. The body of the text is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis and has not been edited in any way. Neither we nor our affiliates guarantee the accuracy of or endorse the views or opinions expressed in this article. Read our full disclaimer policy here.