KUWAIT: Kuwait declared 478 new cases of coronavirus in the past 24 hours, raising the total tally to 67,911, with four people succumbing to the pandemic as the death toll reached 457, a health ministry official said on Sunday. Kuwaiti nationals, with 319 cases, make up 86.9 percent of the total caseload, with non-Kuwaitis with 144 cases making up 31.1 percent, ministry spokesman Abdullah Al-Sanad told KUNA.

The figures include people who came into contact with infected individuals, and others whose source of infection is currently being investigated. In terms of health zones, 144 cases were reported in Ahmadi, 85 in Jahra, 82 in Farwaniya, 80 in the Capital and 72 in Hawally, added Sanad. He said 129 cases are currently in intensive care units, while the number of active cases stands at 8,241.

Some 2,041 swab tests were conducted in the last 24 hours, out of a total of 509,561, added the spokesman. Earlier, the ministry said 688 people recovered from the virus, taking the total number of those to have overcome the disease to 59,213. Sanad reiterated the strict need to abide by health precautions, urging nationals and expatriates alike that following social distancing rules is the only way to keep the virus at bay. - KUNA