GCC health undersecretaries discuss 3rd wave of COVID-19

Muscat - The GCC Undersecretaries of Health Ministries on Monday held their 16th virtual meeting to discuss the latest developments of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the GCC countries.

H E Dr Mohammed bin Saif al Hosni, Undersecretary for Health Affairs in the Ministry of Health (MoH), participated in meeting with the attendance of a number of senior officials of the ministry.

The meeting addressed the latest updates of the pandemic in the GCC countries and actions taken by each country to combat the third wave of the pandemic experienced by all countries in the region. It further reviewed proposals presented for upcoming phase and updates of COVID-19 vaccines and distribution mechanisms of each country and experience, in addition to the importance of exchanging information.

Additionally, the meeting discussed updates of the health passport project that aims at unifying cross-boarder procedures and reducing the entrance of positive COVID-19 cases into the GCC countries. Quality code was further agreed upon to ensure the credibility of certificates issued by each country.

Immunisation and challenges encountered by most the GCC countries regarding vaccine shortages were highlighted, in addition to discussing the monitoring mechanism and approaches concerning side effects of the currently used vaccines. Unification of media messages too was touched upon during the meeting.

The GCC health undersecretaries commended the significant efforts of health workers as well their tangible contribution in mitigating the spread of the virus. They further valued the cooperation of citizens and official and non-governmental authorities amid these exceptional circumstances.

The undersecretaries urge all GCC citizens and residents to adhere fully to the preventive measures as wearing masks, avoiding gatherings, maintaining physical distance and hand hygiene. They further stressed the importance of taking the information from reliable sources and not to pay attention to rumours and unofficial social media platforms.