KUWAIT: His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah chairs the Cabinet's meeting. - KUNA

KUWAIT: Kuwait University announced the vaccination of all its staff members who registered on the Ministry of Health's website to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, including Kuwaiti and non-Kuwaiti members of the academic staff, as well as the administrative body. The University called in a statement yesterday upon all its personnel who have not taken the jabs against the virus, to register their names on the MoH vaccination site, as part of the university's preparations for the safe return of students to traditional learning in the next academic year.

The university added that the University Council, in its meeting held on April 7, approved a plan and mechanism for Kuwait University students to return to traditional learning for the academic year 2021/2022, subject to the approval of the health authorities, with the recommendation to vaccinate all Kuwait University employees as soon as possible. Kuwait University praised the efforts made by the Ministry of Health during the pandemic.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education declared on Monday that all its teaching and administrative staff, who have registered on the Ministry of Health site, have been vaccinated against the novel coronavirus. The ministry called in a statement upon all its personnel, namely those who have not taken the jabs against the virus, to register their names on the MoH vaccination site, noting this step is necessary so it could choose teams to organize and supervise scheduled examinations for the 12th grade classes.

Neither teachers nor administrative staff will be allowed to partake in organizing and managing the tests unless they are inoculated, in line with guidelines by the MoH, it affirmed. Health authorities have given priority in the vaccination process to the Ministry of Education personnel, teachers and administrators.

Health authorities have sped up the vaccination campaign during Ramadan with hope of reaching one million vaccinated people soon. A local report on Sunday said that around 42,000 students and nearly 60 percent of teachers were vaccinated against COVID-19 ahead of the final exam. Meanwhile, health authorities also began vaccinating around 3,000 bank sector employees and 1,000 cinema workers against the virus. This follows a similar drive to vaccinate co-op, supermarket and commercial shop workers around the country.

Curfew extension

The Cabinet had decided to extend the partial curfew until the end of the holy month of Ramadan in the country as of Thursday, April 22, with unchanged curfew hours from 7:00 pm until 5:00 am. However, the decision may be re-assessed as the COVID-19 pandemic situation is regularly reviewed, Foreign Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Dr Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah said, adding that the Cabinet tasked concerned bodies with implementing the provisions of this decision.

The Cabinet, during its meeting on Monday at Seif Palace under the chairmanship of His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, studied recommendations by the ministerial committee of coronavirus emergency and took some relevant measures.

The Cabinet listened to a presentation made by Minister of Health Sheikh Dr Basel Al-Sabah on the developments of epidemical situation due to coronavirus on regional and international levels. He showed that there is an increase in deaths and infections as well as occupation of intensive care units at hospitals.

He also explained the preventive measures taken by the Ministry to implement vaccination in the country according to an accredited mechanism and priorities. The Cabinet urged the public to assume societal responsibility and accelerate receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, as it is the only method to reduce deaths and infections as well as pressure on ICUs.

The Ministry of Health had announced Monday that Kuwait registered 1,510 new coronavirus infections and eight related deaths in the previous 24 hours. The new figures take the total cases in the country up to 258,497 and deaths to 1,456 respectively, noted the ministry's spokesman Dr Abdullah Al-Sanad. Kuwait had announced eight deaths and 1,127 new on Sunday, as well as four deaths and 1,388 new infections on Saturday.

Dr Sanad pointed out that some 1,231 more people had been cured of the virus over the same period, raising the total of those who have overcome the disease to 241,696. He added that the number of people hospitalized with the virus currently stood at 15,345, with 254 of them in intensive care units; up from 250 the previous day.