KUWAIT: In this March 1, 2021 file photo, people are seen lined up to enter the Kuwait Vaccination Center in Mishref. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

KUWAIT: Expatriates and people who haven’t been vaccinated against COVID-19 have the highest numbers among hospitalized and ICU patients in Kuwait, head of the higher COVID-19 committee Dr Khaled Al-Jarallah said yesterday. The number of positive results from field swab tests have dropped except in investment residential areas and among expats, he added. The number of people in Kuwait who have received their COVID-19 vaccines is estimated to be nearing 800,000. Meanwhile, health authorities are looking to curb the rise in daily infections through plans to accelerate vaccinations in Ramadan with the hope of reaching one million vaccinated people soon.

In the meantime, the Ministry of Health said that all shots of COVID-19 vaccines were given on Thursday to all people who came to vaccination centers in accordance with a specific time set via short message service (SMS). In a press statement Friday, the ministry stressed the necessity of people’s abidance by the timing of their doses set in the SMS they receive for a smooth process. This contributes to receiving vaccines within a high quality and safe manner without any interruption or delay, it noted. It also helps avoid gatherings and enables people to take their doses as planned, according to the statement.

Kuwait had said Friday it registered eight new COVID-19 fatalities and 1,406 new infections in the past 24 hours. The ministry’s spokesman Dr Abdullah Al-Sanad said that the death toll increased to 1,436 total fatalities, and the infections caseload to 254,472 as of Friday. Kuwait had announced five deaths and 1,391 cases on Thursday. The infections-to-swab ratio was 15.18 percent, down from 16.12 percent the previous day, Dr Sanad noted.

He added that 1,283 patients have recovered from the virus in the same period to reach 237,667 recoveries, which make the ratio of recoveries 93.40 percent from total conducted tests. The spokesman pointed out that ICU patients stood at 247 as of Friday, up from 244 the previous day, while the number of patients who received health care stood at 15,369 patients, up from 15,254 a day before. Dr Sanad called on the public to maintain social distancing, and to abide with all health regulations that would help in stopping the virus spread.