Oman has reported a record number of COVID-19 infections and deaths in the past 72 hours, with 119 dying from the disease during this period, the newspaper Oman News said on Sunday.
A total of 5,517 people were diagnosed with the virus in the same period, it said.
The spike in infections and deaths comes after the country’s Health Ministry announced that three COVID-19 patients had become infected with the fatal fungal infection called mucormycosis – commonly known as “black fungus” – earlier this month.
Omani health officials also warned that there was an acute shortage of hospital beds amid the spread of highly transmissible coronavirus variants, a lagging vaccine rollout and relaxed movement restrictions.
To date, Oman has recorded more than 256,542 coronavirus cases, including 2,848 deaths, according to a Johns Hopkins University tally.
‘Black fungus’
The fungal condition became a growing cause of concern during India’s devastating coronavirus surge earlier this year. Other countries, including Egypt, have reported scattered cases in recent months as infections spiked.
Black fungus existed in India before the virus wave, but it stoked fears as it took hold in thousands of infected or recently recovered COVID-19 patients.
Mucormycosis is caused by exposure to mucor mould, which is commonly found in soil, air and even in the nose and mucus of humans.
The fungal infection preys on patients with weakened immune systems and underlying conditions, particularly diabetes, as well as overuse of certain over-the-counter coronavirus medications such as steroids. Uncontrolled blood sugar can put immunocompromised people at a higher risk of contracting the disease.
