KUWAIT CITY, Dec 15, (Agencies): The Ministerial Committee for Corona Emergencies of the Council of Ministers met to discuss recent developments in the health arena, particularly the epidemiological situation in Kuwait, reports Al-Rai daily. Minister of Health Sheikh Dr. Basil Al-Sabah was quoted as saying after the meeting that participants in the meeting reviewed the global epidemiological situation in general and reassured citizens and residents that the situation in Kuwait continues to be stable despite noticing a slight increase in the number of Corona infections.

He stressed no new cases of Omicron have been detected in the country, but said there have been instances of positive Corona cases among citizens coming from Europe in the past days that exceeded previous rates, which raises concerns. He explained the Ministry of Health continues to conduct genetic tests on travelers coming from several European destinations, and stressed on the need to adhere to the decisions of the Council of Ministers regarding the application of health requirements, the most important of which is to wear a mask in closed places. He pointed out the Corona Emergency Committee meets continuously to follow up on developments and said must be taken. He called vaccination and masks the best weapons at the present time to confront the “Corona” mutant, and called on people to take the initiative to receive the anti-Corona vaccine, whether the second dose for those who did not receive it, and the third booster dose.

The U.S. death toll from COVID-19 topped 800,000 on Tuesday, a once-unimaginable figure seen as doubly tragic, given that more than 200,000 of those lives were lost after the vaccine became available practically for the asking last spring. The number of deaths, as compiled by Johns Hopkins University, is about equal to the population of Atlanta and St. Louis combined, or Minneapolis and Cleveland put together. It is roughly equivalent to how many Americans die each year from heart disease or stroke.

The United States has the highest reported toll of any country. The U.S. accounts for approximately 4% of the world’s population but about 15% of the 5.3 million known deaths from the coronavirus since the outbreak began in China two years ago. The true death toll in the U.S. and around the world is believed to significantly higher because of cases that were overlooked or concealed. A closely watched forecasting model from the University of Washington projects a total of over 880,000 reported deaths in the U.S. by March 1. President Joe Biden on Tuesday noted what he called a “tragic milestone.” He again called on unvaccinated Americans to get shots for themselves and their children, and urged the vaccinated to get booster shots.