The MOH spokesman, Dr. Muhammed Al-Abdulaali, said that the first case detected with COVID-19 Omicron variant has been isolated along with those who had been in contact with him and the appropriate health procedures have been taken. He revealed that the Omicron variant has been detected in more than 21 countries around the world.
Addressing an extraordinary press conference in Riyadh on Wednesday Al-Abdulaali said that Omicron is designated as a “variant of concern”, because of its changing behavior and the severity of infection, its response to vaccines, the speed of its spread and the possibility of further mutations.
“We can protect ourselves and reduce the spread of Omicron by following the prevention strategies and by completing the 2 vaccine doses or the booster doses if 6 months have already passed after the second dose”, he said. Failure to get vaccination increases the chance of having new variants, he added.
He underlined the importance of wearing face mask in closed, public and crowded places to contain the spread of the virus, as well as washing hands regularly. He called on travelers to fully adhere to the precautionary measures.
Scientific studies have not yet reached enough information about the severity of Omicron. Compliance with the requirements of the health status in the “Tawakkalna” application is very important and is everyone’s responsibility, he added.
Immunity starts to wane six months after vaccination, he said, pointing out that MOH is monitoring Coronavirus new variants. The Health Ministry spokesman warned the public against spreading rumors, noting that everyone should be careful to obtain correct information available from official sources.
According to MOH's latest statistics, 34 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported over the past 24 hours in the Kingdom; thus bringing the total number to 549,786 confirmed cases, including 39 critical cases.
In addition, 26 new recoveries have been recorded, bringing the total number to 538,939 recoveries. Also, 1 new death have been reported; bringing the total deaths to 8,837, May Allah bestow His mercy upon them.