KUWAIT: Kuwait announced yesterday that 1,179 people tested positive for COVID-19 over the previous 24 hours, while two patients passed away during the same period, taking the total cases to 192,031 and deaths to 1,085. The percentage of daily cases compared to tests was estimated at 15.6 percent. The number of coronavirus recoveries in Kuwait rose by 946 to 180,155 over the past 24 hours, the health ministry said yesterday. The percentage of recoveries compared to infections was estimated at 93.8 percent.

Meanwhile, the number of people hospitalized with the virus stood yesterday at 10,791, with 157 of them in intensive care units, ministry spokesman Dr Abdullah Al-Sanad said, adding that some 7,542 swab tests were conducted over the same period, while the total number of swabs reached 1,792,041. Dr Sanad went on to urge the public to abide by health precautions, mainly social distancing, in order to help limit the spread of the virus.

Kuwait had listed 962 new cases from 6,423 swab tests, five deaths and 1,012 recoveries on Sunday. The number of patients in hospital had stood at 10,560 as of Sunday, including 156 in intensive care units. On Saturday, Kuwait listed 844 new cases from 5,704 swab tests, six deaths and 1,064 recoveries. The number of patients in hospital had stood then at 10,615, including 158 in intensive care units.

In other news, Minister of Health Dr Basel Humoud Al-Sabah yesterday held talks with Belgium's Ambassador to the State of Kuwait Leo Peeters on policies and precautions against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The MoH said in a statement that Minister Dr Basel and the envoy, who held the meeting at the ministry's headquarters, exchanged views on cooperation between the two countries in the health sector and other arenas. Dr Rehab Al-Watyan, Director of International Health Relations Department at the MoH, attended the meeting. - KUNA