Live updates: follow the latest news on Covid-19 variant Omicron
Oman has registered its first two cases of the Omicron variant of Covid-19, the Ministry of Health announced on Monday.
It came as the sultanate announced a booster vaccination programme for people over the age of 18.
Concern is growing worldwide over the fast-spreading Omicron variant of the coronavirus. Also on Monday, University of Oxford scientists found that two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca vaccines elicited lower levels of antibodies against the new variant, increasing the risk of infection.
The booster will be available to people in the sultanate who already had two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine. The second dose must have been given in the past six months, the government told Oman TV.
The Ministry of Health ordered all indoor public places, including malls, shops, schools, hotels and mosques, to return to 50 per cent capacity until further notice.
Oman on Monday reported 10 new Covid-19 infections and no deaths. The total number of positive Covid-19 cases in the Sultanate is now 304,724.
“We cannot assume that we will not contact the Omicron virus when it is already spreading in other countries," Hashil Al Subhi, 44, a schoolteacher in Barka, told The National. "I am planning to take it this week just to be on the safe side.”
The Omicron variant has been reported in 57 nations and the number of patients needing hospital care is likely to rise as it spreads, according to the World Health Organisation, with Africa reporting 46 per cent of all cases globally.
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
England's all-time record goalscorers:
Wayne Rooney 53
Bobby Charlton 49
Gary Lineker 48
Jimmy Greaves 44
Michael Owen 40
Tom Finney 30
Nat Lofthouse 30
Alan Shearer 30
Viv Woodward 29
Frank Lampard 29
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
INDIA'S%20TOP%20INFLUENCERS
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TO ALL THE BOYS: ALWAYS AND FOREVER
Directed by: Michael Fimognari
Starring: Lana Condor and Noah Centineo
Two stars
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Landfill in numbers
• Landfill gas is composed of 50 per cent methane
• Methane is 28 times more harmful than Co2 in terms of global warming
• 11 million total tonnes of waste are being generated annually in Abu Dhabi
• 18,000 tonnes per year of hazardous and medical waste is produced in Abu Dhabi emirate per year
• 20,000 litres of cooking oil produced in Abu Dhabi’s cafeterias and restaurants every day is thrown away
• 50 per cent of Abu Dhabi’s waste is from construction and demolition
Cinco in numbers
Dh3.7 million
The estimated cost of Victoria Swarovski’s gem-encrusted Michael Cinco wedding gown
46
The number, in kilograms, that Swarovski’s wedding gown weighed.
1,000
The hours it took to create Cinco’s vermillion petal gown, as seen in his atelier [note, is the one he’s playing with in the corner of a room]
50
How many looks Cinco has created in a new collection to celebrate Ballet Philippines’ 50th birthday
3,000
The hours needed to create the butterfly gown worn by Aishwarya Rai to the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
1.1 million
The number of followers that Michael Cinco’s Instagram account has garnered.
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
