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Merge 104.8 | 14 July 2020
As Oman recorded its highest daily tally of new COVID-19 infections to date yesterday [Monday, July 13], the cumulative number of coronavirus cases in the country has reached 58,179.
Now, a top official at the Ministry of Health (MoH) has stepped forward to offer insight into these figures, and the reasons behind Monday’s surge in new cases.
Speaking in an interview with Oman TV, Dr. Saif bin Salim Al Abri, Director-General of Disease Surveillance and Control at the MoH clarified that yesterday’s spike was due in part to an accumulation of tests from private hospitals that do not test samples over the weekends.
As a result, Dr. Al Abri stated that it’s not uncommon for health authorities to see higher positivity rates at the start of the week, as more tests results come in from those collected prior to the weekend, as a significant number of tests are being carried out in private sector hospitals.
During his interview, Dr. Al Abri stated that 6,173 COVID-19 tests were conducted on Sunday [July 12] — a figure which was inclusive of 2,192 tests from private hospitals accumulated since Thursday [July 9].
Noting that an increasing number of private and public sector companies are sending their employees for COVID-19 screening, Dr. Al Abri confirmed that Oman’s overall positivity rate for tests is currently at 24 per cent — a figure that health authorities are expecting to rise further.
(Also read: COVID-19: Muscat, North Batinah record highest daily cases Monday, as Oman tests 6,000+ samples in 24 hours.)
