The number of Covid-19 cases in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region reached 19,323,067 on 22 March, according to Worldometers data collated by MEED.

Countries in the GCC account for 18.6 per cent (3,559,300) of all regional cases, while Iran’s 7,142,287 infections make up 37.3 per cent of the regional tally.

More regional countries are easing curbs imposed to contain Covid-19 ahead of the holy month of Ramadan. The first day of Ramadan is expected to fall on 2 April, according to the UAE’s Emirates Astronomical Society. The moon sighting committee will confirm the date.

Saudi Arabia
The Ministry of Hajj & Umrah in Saudi Arabia has confirmed that unvaccinated individuals may perform Umrah provided they can prove they are Covid-negative or have not been in contact with someone infected with the virus, local media reported. The ministry said earlier this month it had cancelled the requirements for permits to pray at the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque. Permits to perform Umrah and pray in the Noble Rawdah are required through the Eatmarna or Tawakkalna apps.

Saudi Arabia’s Education Ministry also confirmed last week that all pupils would return to in-class learning from 20 March with social distancing requirements removed for prayer time, assemblies, sports, play and lessons. Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia scrapped wearing masks in open spaces and social distancing, with tourists also no longer required to quarantine or provide PCR tests.

UAE
Dubai Health Authority is closing its Covid-19 vaccination centre in Al-Warqa, months after it closed the One Central vaccination centre in January.

From 17 March, Abu Dhabi has also allowed unvaccinated individuals to enter tourist attractions, cultural sites and events in the UAE capital with a negative PCR test result received within 48 hours before entry. These areas were previously restricted to vaccinated individuals whose Green Pass on the Al-Hosn app was activated. The green pass remains active for 14 days after a fully vaccinated individual has received a negative Covid-19 test result.

Kuwait
Entry visas valid for three months have been reinstated in Kuwait as part of a broader effort by the General Directorate of Residency Affairs to ease Covid-19 restrictions. The relaxed measures allow unvaccinated travellers to enter the country following the provision of a negative PCR test result acquired 72 hours before their flight, quarantine for seven days following arrival and present a negative PCR test to end the quarantine. Fully vaccinated individuals are exempted from pre- and on-arrival tests and quarantine requirements.

Kuwait announced last week that mosques can return to regular capacity without social distancing. Iftar tents will also be reinstated during the holy month of Ramadan. A ban on in-person conferences, meanwhile, has been lifted under new measures launched on 20 February.

Oman
Oman’s Health Ministry will provide free Covid-19 vaccines to citizens and residents – including doses of Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca – at health centres in Ruwi, Seeb, Al-Khwair and South Azaiba. Booster doses are being encouraged to maintain and improve the national epidemiological status.

A local study funded by Oman’s Higher Education, Research & Innovation Ministry has identified Covid-specific micro ribonucleic acids (miRNAs) as part of wider efforts to isolate miRNAs and exosomes from Covid-19 patients.

Zuhair al-Sulti, head of the pharmacy department at the ministry’s Al-Nahda hospital and a researcher at Sultan Qaboos University, has said the study allows the identification of miRNAs that could be associated with disease progression and deterioration in Covid-19 patients.

The study’s findings could contribute to identifying targets that may be tested as a potential therapeutic target among patients, he added. The ministry’s Covid Research programme was launched in March 2020.

Iran
Iran has received 2,191,500 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine donated by the German government through Unicef’s channels. The doses arrived in two contingents, the first of which contained 1,413,600 doses and arrived at the Imam Khomeini International airport on 13 March. Local media reported that the second batch of 777,900 doses arrived the following day. Germany donated 302,400 doses of the vaccine to Iran in October 2021 and, in December, it donated 2 million automated nucleic acid extraction tests to the Iranian health ministry.

Egypt
Cairo is studying the feasibility of allowing the establishment of Iftar tables and Tarawih prayer spaces at mosques during Ramadan this year, according to local media reports citing Mohamed Awad Tag Eddin, presidential adviser for health affairs. Eddin reportedly said the safety of establishing Ramadan tents is being studied as case numbers and intensive care unit admissions decline in the country.

Jordan
Amman has confirmed plans to ease restrictions during Ramadan, according to Feisal Shboul, minister of state for media affairs. New measures will cancel the need for social distancing at mosques and churches and remove mandates for mask-wearing in outdoor spaces. Seating capacity restrictions in restaurants and cafés will also reportedly be cancelled, and the organisation of Ramadan gatherings and iftar banquets will be allowed.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees has found over 90 per cent of the Syrian refugee population in camps in Jordan has received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, with 95,000 refugee families receiving the agency’s cash compensation for transport to and from vaccination centres.

Libya
Sixty-six per cent of the 38 Covid-19 laboratories assessed by the World Health Organisation in Libya were, as of end-2021, fully functional, with the remaining requiring assistance in the form of medical supplies, staff and finance to operate. Eighty-nine per cent of the assessed labs have RT-PCR machines and most operate a single eight-hour shift. Equipment, consumables and staff training remain major priorities based on the assessment.

Tunisia
First- and second-dose coverage is at 82 per cent in people aged over 40 years and 73 per cent in individuals aged over 18, respectively, but third dose acceptance remains poor. Vaccine hesitancy remains a concern and third-dose coverage does not exceed 13 per cent, director of the Pasteur Institute, Hechmi Louzir, reportedly said earlier this month. Louzir added that vaccination statistics had waned and showed the number of people attending their appointments hit a record low with just 1 per cent of the total who received text invites arriving as scheduled.