A man is inoculated with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at Siddeeq Health Centre in Kuwait City. Photo: AFP
A man is inoculated with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at Siddeeq Health Centre in Kuwait City. Photo: AFP
A man is inoculated with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at Siddeeq Health Centre in Kuwait City. Photo: AFP
A man is inoculated with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at Siddeeq Health Centre in Kuwait City. Photo: AFP

Kuwait vaccinates 70 per cent of population against Covid-19


Mina Aldroubi
  • English
  • Arabic

Kuwait has immunised 70 per cent of its population against Covid 19, Health Minister Basil Al Sabah said on Wednesday.

“Praise be to God. Officially, the vaccination rate has reached 70 per cent,” he said on Twitter.

The country began its mass vaccination campaign in December.

Mobile vaccination units were opened in April in businesses and mosques throughout the country.

Within the past 24 hours, Kuwait has recorded 166 new cases of the coronavirus and two deaths.

People queue to receive a dose of the Pizer-BioNTech vaccine against the coronavirus at al-Siddeeq health centre, in Kuwait City, on August 18, 2021. AFP
People queue to receive a dose of the Pizer-BioNTech vaccine against the coronavirus at al-Siddeeq health centre, in Kuwait City, on August 18, 2021. AFP

The health ministry reported 583 new recovery cases, bringing the total number to 402,420. It said the ratio of recoveries to infections was 98.48 per cent.

Health Ministry spokesman Dr Abdullah Al Sanad said 11,923 PCR tests were taken, bringing the total number to 3,699,218, and that about one in 100 tests came back positive.

Kuwait has recorded 408,600 and 2,409 deaths since the pandemic began.

On Tuesday, the country’s ports authority said it had suspended passenger transport by sea owing to infection concerns. Shipping operations continue.

Since August 1, Kuwaiti citizens have been allowed to travel abroad only if they have been immunised against Covid-19.

Those arriving in the country must present a negative Covid-19 PCR test result before they board their flights. On arrival, they must quarantine at home for a week unless they take another PCR test that produces a negative result.

On Monday, the Kuwaiti government eased some coronavirus-related restrictions and allowed many activities to resume. Gatherings such conferences and weddings remain off-limits to people who have not been vaccinated.

Direct flights between Kuwait and Morocco, and to and from the Maldives, resumed on August 1.

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Singham Again

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Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone

Rating: 3/5

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Guillermo Vilas - 659

Manuel Orantes - 501

Thomas Muster - 422

Rafael Nadal - 399 *

Jose Higueras - 378

Eddie Dibbs - 370

Ilie Nastase - 338

Carlos Moya - 337

Ivan Lendl - 329

Andres Gomez - 322

10 tips for entry-level job seekers
  • Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
  • Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
  • Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
  • For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
  • Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
  • Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
  • Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
  • Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
  • Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
  • Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.

Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz

Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters

The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.

 Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.

A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.

The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.

The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.

Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.

Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment

But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.

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Updated: August 25, 2021, 10:42 AM