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.

Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut

Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”

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How The Debt Panel's advice helped readers in 2019

December 11: 'My husband died, so what happens to the Dh240,000 he owes in the UAE?'

JL, a housewife from India, wrote to us about her husband, who died earlier this month. He left behind an outstanding loan of Dh240,000 and she was hoping to pay it off with an insurance policy he had taken out. She also wanted to recover some of her husband’s end-of-service liabilities to help support her and her son.

“I have no words to thank you for helping me out,” she wrote to The Debt Panel after receiving the panellists' comments. “The advice has given me an idea of the present status of the loan and how to take it up further. I will draft a letter and send it to the email ID on the bank’s website along with the death certificate. I hope and pray to find a way out of this.”

November 26:  ‘I owe Dh100,000 because my employer has not paid me for a year’

SL, a financial services employee from India, left the UAE in June after quitting his job because his employer had not paid him since November 2018. He owes Dh103,800 on four debts and was told by the panellists he may be able to use the insolvency law to solve his issue. 

SL thanked the panellists for their efforts. "Indeed, I have some clarity on the consequence of the case and the next steps to take regarding my situation," he says. "Hopefully, I will be able to provide a positive testimony soon."

October 15: 'I lost my job and left the UAE owing Dh71,000. Can I return?'

MS, an energy sector employee from South Africa, left the UAE in August after losing his Dh12,000 job. He was struggling to meet the repayments while securing a new position in the UAE and feared he would be detained if he returned. He has now secured a new job and will return to the Emirates this month.

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Conservative MPs who have publicly revealed sending letters of no confidence
  1. Steve Baker
  2. Peter Bone
  3. Ben Bradley
  4. Andrew Bridgen
  5. Maria Caulfield​​​​​​​
  6. Simon Clarke 
  7. Philip Davies
  8. Nadine Dorries​​​​​​​
  9. James Duddridge​​​​​​​
  10. Mark Francois 
  11. Chris Green
  12. Adam Holloway
  13. Andrea Jenkyns
  14. Anne-Marie Morris
  15. Sheryll Murray
  16. Jacob Rees-Mogg
  17. Laurence Robertson
  18. Lee Rowley
  19. Henry Smith
  20. Martin Vickers 
  21. John Whittingdale

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Updated: August 25, 2021, 10:42 AM