KUWAIT CITY, Dec 22: Kuwait is set to receive the first shipment of COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday Dec 23, Minister of Health Dr Sheikh Basil Hammoud Al-Sabah announced in a statement, adding that the first phase of vaccination campaign will start by end of the week. The campaign will be divided into four stages with medical professionals being prioritized first, as well as people above the age of 65 and frontliners.

The other three stages will include the general public, according to the Ministry of Health. So far, 73,700 people have registered to receive the vaccine, with hundreds more expected to register in the coming days, Minister of Health said. The ministry is prepared to vaccinate a large number of the community, he added.

The Council of Ministers on Monday, during the weekly Cabinet meeting, was informed on the latest preparations related to efforts to combat COVID-19 and ways to prevent it, coinciding with the start of the vaccination campaign against the virus wreaking havoc worldwide.

The Cabinet after examining recommendation of the Coronavirus Emergency Ministerial Committee decided to close land and sea border ports, except for shipping operations, suspend all commercial flights to and from Kuwait International Airport on Monday Dec 21 until Jan 1st 2021. However the decision will be reviewed based on the virus development.

Ensure
Terror has struck the world with the announcement of a new, more deadly and fierce version what is called a highly contagious new variant of the corona virus, which resulted in the government of Kuwait raising the ceiling of measures and procedures as a precaution and to prevent potential risks.

This came despite the Minister of Health Sheikh Dr Basil Al-Sabah giving reassurances about the health situation in Kuwait and affirming that it is witnessing improvement and stability, citing data and statistics that confirm the decrease in the number of infections, those receiving treatment and those in the intensive care.

Moreover, the Al-Seyassah daily learned that the closure may last for a month, while health sources confirmed that all possibilities are on the table, including the imposition of a partial ban. In response to a question by Al- Seyassah about the possibility of excluding citizens or expatriates stranded abroad due the closure decision, the source said, the decision has taken by the Council of Ministers and there are no exceptions until this moment, and that they have to wait until the airspace opens and the airport is operational again.

The source pointed out that the decision to close the airport will be subject to research, study and evaluation, according to the developments in the health situation in the country and the extent of development and spread of the new strain of the virus, indicating that it is premature to talk about extending the suspension of commercial flights to and from the airport at the present time because such decisions depend on the health authorities’ assessment of the evolving pandemic cases.

Meanwhile, the Kuwaiti embassy in Bahrain has called on Kuwaiti citizens “who are currently” there to contact the embassy to help them due to recent developments.

By Marlon Aquino Malinao Arab Times Staff and Agencies