The health undersecretaries of the GCC countries on Tuesday met on a digital platform to discuss the possibilities of making COVID-19 vaccination mandatory, besides the other issues related to the pandemic. 

According to a ministry statement, the GCC Undersecretaries of Health held their 15th virtual meeting to discuss several matters related to the COVID-19 pandemic, “including institutional quarantine manual, the possibility of mandatory vaccination, as well private sector engagement in disseminating vaccination knowledge”.  

H E Dr Mohammed bin Saif al Hosni, Oman’s Undersecretary for Health Affairs, attended the meeting along with a number of senior officials from the ministry, the statement added.  

The senior officials reviewed the current pandemic situation in the GCC and discussed at length actions taken by each country in the ever-changing scenario, besides discussing proposals presented for upcoming phase.  

‘The meeting further reviewed updates on COVID-19 vaccines and distribution mechanisms of each country, in addition to the importance of exchanging information in the vaccination domain,’ the statement said.  

‘Gulf COVID-19 Vaccines Guide was also discussed and previous proposals and applications of countries were further reviewed,’ it added.  

The GCC health undersecretaries commended the significant efforts of health workers as well as their tangible contribution in mitigating the spread of the virus.  

The undersecretaries urged upon all GCC citizens and residents to adhere fully to the preventive measures such 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.