MUSCAT — The new coronavirus infections in Oman surged in Oman as 1,739 new cases were reported over the past 24 hours, raising the total to 68,400, the health ministry announced on Monday. Of the new cases, 1,514 are Omani nationals and 225 are foreigners. There were 1,157 cases reported on Sunday and 1,311 infections recorded on Saturday. The health ministry also announced eight new fatalities due to COVID-19 complications, raising the death toll to 326. Meanwhile, the total number of recoveries reached 45,150 after 1,146 individuals who had previously tested positive for the virus recovered. 70 pregnant women affected There are 70 pregnant women hospitalized with COVID-19 infection so far in the sultanate. Nine among them are in the ICU, according to Dr. Moza Abdullah Al-Suliamani, director of Gynecology and Obstetrics at the Royal Hospital. Three critical cases went into premature labor to improve their response to treatment, including one that was before the 24-week of pregnancy and the fetus died. The other two cases were of 28-week of pregnancy and the premature newborns were admitted to the NICU. In a statement, Dr. Moza said, “Pregnant women being infected with COVID-19 is as usual as the rest of the community,” confirming the WHO, which says there is no evidence that the pregnant women are at higher risk of severe illness than others. — Agencies