COVID-19: Passenger who arrived in Kuwait tests positive for Delta

Kuwait City: A passenger who arrived in Kuwait has tested positive for the Delta variant of COVID-19 after he had undergone a PCR test upon arrival.

Head of the COVID-19 committee at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Khaled Al Jarallah, said in a Tweet that the passenger is undergoing the necessary quarantine and that they are following up on the situation.

Following his tweet, several rumours circulated social media claiming that the passenger had arrived from Egypt as the first direct flight from Cairo landed in Kuwait early Sunday.

In an effort to scotch the rumours, Al Jarallah said in a follow up Tweet that the person had not arrived from an Arab country and is not a resident.

He added: “The detection of the case is not surprising, rather emphasizes the importance of keeping the mandatory PCR upon arrival in order to ensure that the epidemiological situation remains stable.”

The health situation has been improving steadily in Kuwait, as the number of COVID-19 cases, related deaths and hospitalisations have decreased drastically in the past month.