the World Health Organization (WHO) was notified about a cluster of pneumonia cases of unknown cause in Wuhan, China. a novel coronavirus disease, COvId-19, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 virus (SaRS-Cov-2) was identified in the cluster. The disease rapidly progressed into a pandemic. 1,2 as of 22 may 2020, it has affected 5 106 686 individuals globally with 333 003 deaths and a 6.5% fatality rate. 3 nationwide, as of 22 may 2020, an aggregate of 6370 cases has been reported, with 1821 cases recovered and 30 deaths giving a mortality rate of 0.5%. 3,4 The first two cases were reported on 24 February from the muscat governorate, the capital of Oman, linked to travel to Iran. In this study, we characterize the epidemiological aspects of the first 1304 laboratory-confirmed cases in Oman. M ET H O D Sall patients with laborator y-confirmed COvId-19 by SaRS-Cov-2 real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were enrolled between 24 February and 17 april 2020. The COvId-19 diagnosis was based on the national case definition and confirmed COvd-19 interim guidance. 5 The data was retrieved from published national surveillance data 6 and included the demographic characteristics (gender, age, place of residency, and nationality), patients' outcomes (including recovery, hospitalization, and mortality), and severity of illness (including mild, moderate, and severe) based on the WHO definition. 7 descriptive statistics were used to describe the data. For categorical variables, frequencies and percentages were reported. differences between groups were analyzed using Pearson's chi-squared tests (or Fisher's exact tests for expected cells < 5). For continuous variables, mean and standard deviation were used to present the data, while analyses were performed using a Student's t-test. an a priori two-tailed level of significance was set at 0.05. Statistical analyses were conducted using STaTa version 16.1.This study was approved by the internal institutional review board and adhered to the declaration of Helsinki.

Objectives To describe the epidemiological characteristics of the first 69,382 patients with COVID-19 infection in Oman. Methods A retrospective case series study of patients diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection in Oman from 24 February to 23 July 2020. The data were obtained from the National surveillance COVID-19 network. Results The overall mean age of patients was 34 (± 14) years, 74% (n = 51,391) were males, 40,859 (59%) were Omani citizens, and 28,523 (41%) were foreign-born individuals. The most common symptoms at presentation were fever 50% (n = 34,600), cough 46% (n = 32,062), sore throat 46% (n = 31,953) and shortness of breath (SOB) 35% (n = 24,567). Overall, 8,960 (12.9%) patients required hospitalization with 1189 (13.3%) individuals requiring admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) and mechanical ventilation (MV). Patients hospitalized with COVID-19 infection were mostly Omani nationals and males between 30 and 39 years old (p < 0.001). The mortality rate was 7.7 per 100,000 population (n = 359) with rates of 9.4 (n = 278) and 4.8 (n = 81) deaths per 100,000 population in Omani nationals and foreign-born individuals, respectively. Females hospitalized with COVID-19 had a mean age of 64 (± 18) years versus a mean age of 55 (± 17) years in males. Mean age of patients with COVID-19-related mortality was 58 (± 18) years with significant differences in mean age between females and males 64 (± 18) versus 55 (± 17) years, respectively. Conclusions Young Omani males accounted for the highest incidence of COVID-19 infection and hospitalization, while mortality rates were higher among males and the older age (> 50 years). Identifying the epidemiological characteristics and outcomes of COVID-19-infected patients is essential for developing targeted intervention strategies and preparing for the resurgence of anticipated second and third waves of this pandemic.

Objective Effective primary health care (PHC) is the key to attaining universal health coverage. The key performance indicators (KPIs), is a component of quality improvement in the PHC service sector that provides feedback to inform and better public service delivery and promoting accountability. We assessed the current performance of PHC service by using KPIs to identify the possible challenges that necessitate being confronted, highlight the lessons learnt, and propose steps towards improvements. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional observational study across 12 PHC centers in 6 governorates in Oman during the period of June 2017 to June 2018. Secondary data from the computerized medical records of the PHC centers on six key indicators, accessibility, workload, outcomes, timeliness, satisfaction, and safety were analysed to assess the performance of PHC service and to identify challenges confronted and propose steps towards further service improvement. Results The mean overall KPIs scores across the ten PHC centers were 174.5 (SD: 9.80) or 67.01%. The overall scores were normally distributed with a median score of 175 (IQR: 171-181). The lowest percentage score was obtained by Al Qabil (61.35%) with the highest mark being at Wadi Kabir (70.54%). The mean score across all KPIs was 3.84 (SD:0.94) with a median score of 3.9 (IQR: 3.43-4.5). Of the six KPI components, safety (4.85), satisfaction (4.67), timeliness (4.44), and accessibility (4.31) had the highest performance scores, whilst workload (4.15) and outcomes (3.75) lagged behind. Conclusions Performance across the KPIs exhibited a considerable variation between facilities, with workload and outcome performing lower than other components. The findings of this study offered a measure of internal strengths that need to be sustained, challenges that require quality improvement initiatives, and external factors such as social determinants that impact overall performance PHC.

Health authorities are focused on swiftly alleviating the spread of COVID-19 infections to support the overburdened healthcare system and reduce the mortality rates associated with the ongoing pandemic. Across Oman, there are 243 primary healthcare (PHC) clinics that act as the first point of contact for providing a comprehensive range of healthcare services. Further, they provide access to more than 30 programs that are delivered by well-trained primary care staff from different categories. PHCs adopted the strategy of providing healthcare services directly related to positive COVID-19 cases, preventing the likely spread of COVID-19 infection among healthcare workers, and reducing the spread of COVID-19 in the community. This review outlines four major challenges that were observed and informally reported by the healthcare workers at PHCs in Oman from January to December 2020. Understanding the nature of these challenges can help health authorities in preparing effectively for any future viral outbreaks and mitigating them in a timely and efficient manner. One of the major challenges faced by PHCs was the reduction in outpatient services from January to December 2020 in comparison with the same time period in the last year. PHCs addressed the main health problems in the community through health promotion, as well as preventive, curative, and rehabilitative services under unusual circumstances. However, there is a need for a modified approach during circumstances such as the COVID-19 pandemic. This will help us cope with possible future viral outbreaks in a better manner.

Many underlying physiological changes occur with age, and in elderly people, there is an increased risk of chronic disease and care dependence. Globally, the number of elderly people increases considerably in a relatively short period of time and the need for further support is also increasing exponentially. As the number of elderly people continues to grow along with their longevity, the need for long-term health care will increase significantly. Ultimately, the health care system faces a number of challenges, including long-term care, which includes activities related to the risk of age-related disabilities associated with chronic diseases. We examine the status of the elderly program in Oman, the achievements, and gaps in achieving the Ministry of Health's vision in 2050. The review eluded that the elderly program is headed in the right direction, however, the program still has unmet needs of physical fitness-related care, psychological health care, community support, and the leaving the environment. The findings of this review also underlined the importance of care models and support services specifically based on the needs of the elderly.