ShareBy Ahmad Jabr
KUWAIT: Kuwait reported 2,820 new COVID-19 cases yesterday, setting a new record in daily infections for the fourth straight day as the country battles a new wave of the disease. Meanwhile, health authorities reported two new deaths yesterday after recording two days of zero mortalities, and the first time to register more than one death in a single day in months. The last time Kuwait registered two deaths in one day was on September 14, 2021.
On the other hand, the number of patients in ICUs remained at 12 as of yesterday, while the number of patients hospitalized increased from 66 to 87. Total active cases also jumped to 15,140 yesterday from 12,635 the previous day. The percentage of daily new cases to new tests increased from 7.5 percent to 9.1 percent, while the percentage of recovery reached 96 percent, according to the health ministry's bulletin. The health ministry has announced 313 new recoveries yesterday, up from 247 the previous day.
Daily cases in Kuwait have been on an upward trajectory since Wednesday when the country announced 2,246 new cases; setting a new record and the first time that daily cases crossed the 2,000 threshold since the start of the pandemic. Health authorities reported 2,413 and 2,645 cases on Thursday and Friday, respectively. Following this trend, Kuwait could break the 3,000 mark as early as today.
However, the relatively low number of deaths and hospital occupancy in the current wave caused by the Omicron variant of COVID-19, compared to previous waves, gives reason for optimism. At the time when the previous daily record was registered at 1,993 on July 6, 2021, there were 310 patients in intensive care units, 1,150 patients in hospital, as well as 18,600 active cases. Meanwhile, health authorities had reported 20 deaths on that day.
In the meantime, the high level of vaccination in Kuwait also drives hops of overcoming the current wave despite the rise in daily infections. Latest health ministry statistics show that 522,754 people have received booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine as of yesterday afternoon. Meanwhile, 3,227,817 people are fully vaccinated (82.3 percent of the targeted category) and 3,343,768 have received the first dose (85.3 percent of the targeted people), according to statistics posted on the health ministry's website.
Kuwait's Health Ministry Spokesman Dr Abdullah Al-Sanad had said on Friday that the drop in daily cases of infection with the Omicron variant in South Africa before a new wave of deaths' increase is a positive indication. "In previous waves, we noticed that the wave would start with an increase in infection rates, followed by an increase in hospital occupancy and deaths," he said in a televised statement. "What is happening now in South Africa is a drop in cases before the emergence of a deaths' wave, which gives us a glimmer of hope, but with caution."
Recommendations mulled
This comes as the Cabinet prepares to discuss several recommendations from health authorities during a meeting this week. Kuwait's Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs and Ministry of Justice have already re-imposed coronavirus curbs due to the recent rapid surge infections caused by the ultra-transmittable Omicron variant. Mosques around Kuwait followed ministry instructions on Friday, requiring worshippers to observe distancing rules, wear facemasks, bring their own prayer mats and avoid direct contact with others. The ministry instructed mosque officials to keep mosque doors and windows open during sermons and prayer times. It also announced a time-cap of 15 minutes to the Friday prayer's sermon.
In the same vein, the Ministry of Justice re-imposed social distancing rules during marriage contract-writing ceremonies as of today, during that that only six people could attend such a ceremony. Last week, the Cabinet announced banning all kinds of public gatherings in closed places as of today and until February 28 following the spike in the number of infections in the country.
Head of the Center for Government Communication (CGC) Tareq Al-Mezrem had said on Thursday that the COVID-19 Ministerial Emergency Committee forwarded its recommendations and proposals to be included in the Cabinet's upcoming meeting's agenda. He did not mention the nature of the recommendations or whether introducing new restrictions will be on the table of discussion, however.
During a meeting in Seif Palace chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Sheikh Hamad Jaber Al-Ali Al-Sabah, the emergency committee focused on the pandemic's development locally and how health measures were implemented to curb the rapid number of COVID-19 cases, the government's spokesman said in a statement. Health and educational officials updated the committee of the latest happenings in their fields, revealed Mezrem, noting that all proposals were forwarded to the Cabinet's next meeting for discussion and decisions.
