KUWAIT: Dealing with continuous ramifications of COVID-19 required adaptability and flexibility via following health procedures and precautions, including speeding up vaccinations and PCR tests, Health Minister Dr Khaled Al-Saeed said yesterday. Addressing a National Assembly session on the government's workplan to curb the spread of the coronavirus, Dr Saeed affirmed that the upward trend of infection during the current wave indicated that the pandemic was "far from over".

The capacity in various medical wards has increased during the pandemic, in addition to the number of medical staff from several fields, affirmed Dr Saeed. He revealed for example that the bed capacity in ICU units jumped to 260 percent to help address the challenges posed by COVID-19. Dr Saeed stressed the importance of being vaccinated especially amongst members of the ministry's medical staff, noting that prior to the pandemic, a considerable number of doctors and nurses lost their lives due to COVID-19 and not being vaccinated. He also revealed that the government had worked its hardest to make vaccines and PCR test available to the masses both in the public and private medical practices to better address the pandemic and help curb its spread.

National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem speaks during the session.

MPs meanwhile called on the government to reduce health restrictions, including the administration of booster jabs. Speaking during the session, they underlined that physical, rather than online, classes should continue, and that all lockdown measures have to be scrapped. They charged that now that herd immunity has been attained by vaccinating over 80 percent of the country's population, Kuwait, just like other countries, should ease out virus-bearing restrictions, calling for not compelling the unvaccinated to get shots. They further urged the government to soften health measures on children and to provide virus testing centers in all governorates.

National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem adjourned the session after discussing the government's workplan. Ghanem expressed his deep appreciation to Minister Saeed and the medical staff for their efforts and what they provided. He also thanked and appreciated the former Minister of Health Sheikh Dr Basel Al-Sabah.

Also during the session, the National Assembly approved referring the Amiri speech of the opening of the second ordinary session of the 16th legislative term, with the MPs notes, to the committee responsible for responding to the speech. This step came after finishing discussion on the Amiri speech that took place on Tuesday. - KUNA