KUWAIT: Kuwait said on Wednesday 651 new cases of coronavirus were recorded in the past 24 hours, raising the total tally to 69,425, with three people succumbing to the pandemic as the death toll reached 468, according to a health ministry official.

Kuwaiti nationals, with 425 cases, occupy 65.28 percent of the cases recorded, while non-Kuwaitis, with 226 cases, occupy 34.72 percent of the total caseload, ministry spokesman Abdullah Al-Sanad said. The figures include people who have come into contact with infected individuals, and others whose source of infection is currently being investigated.

In terms of health zones, 219 cases were reported in Al-Ahmadi, 137 in Farwaniya, 132 in Jahra, 84 in the Capital and 79 in Hawalli, added the spokesman. He went on to reveal that 128 cases are currently in the intensive care unit, while the number of active cases stands at 8,051. Earlier, the ministry said 580 people recovered from the virus in the last day, upping the total number of those to have overcome the disease to 60,906.

Some 4,550 swab tests were conducted in the last 24 hours, out of a total of 518,601 so far, Dr Sanad added. He reiterated the strict need to abide by health precautions, urging nationals and expatriates alike to follow social distancing rules as the only way to keep the virus at bay. - KUNA