KUWAIT: Kuwait's Health Ministry Spokesman Dr Abdullah Al-Sanad speaks during a press conference yesterday. - KUNA

KUWAIT: It is yet unknown whether the rising temperature in the State of Kuwait during summer will have an effect on the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), said a Health Ministry official yesterday. In a press conference, Health Ministry Spokesman Dr Abdullah Al-Sanad indicated that there is no reliable study so far that correlates the decrease of coronavirus spread to increasing temperatures. There are regions in the world that had increasing temperatures yet the virus still continues to spread, noted the spokesman.

Whether patients contracting the coronavirus will have immunity, Dr Sanad revealed that in China, 14 percent of tests done on recovering patients had shown that symptoms did not return after hospital discharge; however, such data is still inconclusive. In Kuwait, the Health Ministry continues to be vigilant and some 105 clinics as well as other health facilities work throughout the day and night to fend off the spread of the virus, he said. In regards to those who recovered in Kuwait, currently at 15, Dr Sanad revealed that their ages vary, adding that what is needed now was to increase campaign of awareness in the country to vanquish the disease.

Health precautions
Meanwhile, Dr Sanad said that health precautions and preventive measures that have been taken by Kuwait to prevent the spread of the coronavirus are proceeding according to plans. He further indicated that these measures included discovery of new cases, examining those who got close to persons contaminated with the germ and tracking down how the infection proceeded.

There are 161 medical systems in the world, including Kuwait, facing this challenge, Dr Sanad said, adding that a report by the World Health Organization (WHO) showed that number of the cases worldwide was larger than the figure inside China, epicenter of the breakout. The number of registered COVID-19 patients outside China reached 101,000 in contrast to 81,000 in China, he said, also indicating that the situation in the large Asian nation was tending to get "stable."

New cases
Twelve new cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) were discovered in Kuwait within the last 24 hours, bringing the total of infections to 142, Dr Sanad had revealed earlier yesterday during the press conference. He added that out of the 142 in total, 15 cases recovered and 127 are still receiving treatment. He indicated that there four cases still in the ICU with one stable and three in critical condition. Some 573 individuals had finished the quarantine period, he affirmed. - KUNA