The new vaccination center in Wafra.

KUWAIT: Kuwait has expanded its list of designated sites to get COVID-19 shots, naming the headquarters of its agriculture and fisheries authority in the southern Wafra region as the latest location, the health ministry said on Wednesday.

The new center, which has the capacity to accommodate up to 5,000 people, will be serving Wafra residents only, said ministry spokesman Dr Abdullah Al-Sanad, adding that the facility is equipped with an emergency ward and 14 other special units. Kuwait has seen new COVID-19 cases drop dramatically as its vaccination campaign picks up speed, with officials saying the country is likely to achieve herd immunity as early as next month.

Kuwait's daily coronavirus cases had increased by 237 to 407,376 on Wednesday as deaths increased by two to 2,397. The number of people hospitalized with the virus stood at 398 as of Wednesday, with 182 of them in intensive care units, Dr Sanad said, revealing that another 5,944 were receiving regular treatment. Another 642 people were cured of the virus within the same period, raising total of recoveries to 399,035, he said. Some 9,900 swab tests were conducted over the same period out of a total of 3,631,090, he revealed. - KUNA