By B Izzak

KUWAIT: HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah will today launch Kuwait's coronavirus vaccination campaign at a special facility at the international fairgrounds in Mishref, Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Anas Al-Saleh said yesterday. Saleh said the vaccination will be given to all "citizens and expats". Health Minister Sheikh Dr Basel Al-Sabah said yesterday the vaccination campaign will continue for one year until "the entire population of Kuwait has been vaccinated".

The first shipment of the vaccines arrived early yesterday and the health minister said they will continue to arrive every month for a year. The first vaccines will be given to people aged above 65, frontline health workers and people with special needs. A statement by the health ministry yesterday said it will take five to six minutes to vaccinate each person, with a maximum of 10,000 people to be vaccinated daily.

During an inspection with Saleh of Hall 5 at the fairgrounds, Sheikh Basel thanked medical cadres, technicians and experts for their round-the-clock efforts in the previous months, saying it resulted in the logistical success of delivering the vaccine to Kuwait. He said Kuwait will now begin a new phase of vaccinations and hopefully beat the virus, adding that it is important to eradicate COVID-19 rather than focus on bringing the number of infections down. He affirmed herd immunity can only be achieved through the vaccination campaign.

Saleh revealed HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled will be the first to receive the jab, followed by those who have registered for the vaccination online. Saleh expressed pride in the preparation for the campaign, thanking the minister of health and all members of the ministry for their efforts. He added that members of the interior ministry, Kuwait Fire Force and related bodies will do their best to facilitate the campaign's success.

People interested in getting vaccinated are requested to register at a special site set up by the health ministry (covid19vaccine.moh.gov.kw). By late Tuesday, around 74,000 people had already registered. Local media reported that the first shipment contains around 150,000 vaccines good for 75,000 people, as the vaccination is administered twice.