Black Fungus cases detected in Oman

man announced that its doctors have detected a potentially fatal fungal infection afflicting some coronavirus patients, the first such known cases on the Arabian Peninsula as the sultanate faces a surge in Covid-19 infections that has swamped its hospitals.

The country’s Health Ministry reported that three Covid-19 patients in Oman have become infected with mucormycosis, a life-threatening condition commonly known as ‘black fungus,’ which has spread quickly among virus patients in hard-hit India.

The fungus is believed to be more dangerous for those who have weakened immune systems, including diabetes patients and those who are taking steroids for a long period of time one of the treatments for severe Covid cases, Indian health officials have warned.

Earlier this week Omani health officials warned there was an acute shortage of hospital beds amid the spread of highly transmissible coronavirus variants, a lagging vaccine rollout and relaxed movement restrictions.

In the past month, cases in the country have more than tripled, with authorities recording over 2,000 new cases and 33 deaths on Tuesday. Recent weeks have also seen record highs in severe and critical cases, with overwhelmed hospitals forced to turn away patients.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Health, there are 24,946 active cases of the virus in Oman. Some 236,440 people have tested positive for the disease since the start of the pandemic. With a recovery rate of 89.4 per cent, 211,494 people have recovered from COVID-19.