KUWAIT: The Ministry of Health announced on Wednesday 683 new infections with the coronavirus (COVID-19) in the past  24 hours raising the total to 33,823 cases. Ministry spokesperson Dr Abdullah Al-Sanad said in his daily briefing that two new deaths were also recorded during the same period, raising the toll of fatalities from the virus to 275 since the outbreak of the pandemic in the country.

He added that some of the cases contracted the virus due to mingling and others were being screened to determine and track the source of the contamination. Dr Sanad said the new infection cases included 274 Kuwaiti citizens, 130 Indian nationals, 58 from Bangladesh, 51 from Egypt and the rest hailed from various other countries.

The infections according to health zones: 257 in Al-Farwaniya, 160 in Al-Ahmadi, 111 in Al-Jahraa, 103 in Hawally and 52 in Al-Assimah (the capital). There are currently 193 patients in intensive care wards and the total count of such cases stands at 10,260. Dr Sanad said 345 patients were cured of the infectious disease and were discharged from quarantines in the past 24, however, the healed were advised to quarantine themselves at their houses for 14 days.

He put the number of swab tests, conducted in the past 24 hours, at 2,871, noting that the whole figure of the examinations reached 324,373 since the outbreak of the communicable disease. Earlier, Health Minister Dr Sheikh Basel Al-Sabah revealed that up to 1,126 people recovered from the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Kuwait in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of patients pronounced cured of the infection to 23,288. Dr Sheikh Basel said the patients were determined to be clear of the virus after conducting necessary medical examinations and taking standard procedures in such cases. -- KUNA