COVID-19: Kuwait ranks 6th in Middle East and 38th in world for number of swab tests
The highest number of coronavirus infections were in May
Kuwait City: As Kuwait enters its seventh month since the first COVID-19 case was detected, the small Gulf country ranks sixth in the Middle East and 38 in the world in terms of number of swabs per capita, Al Qabas reported.
According to the Ministry of Health, Kuwait has performed 626,041 swabs, with an average of around 3,000 swabs per day.
In the beginning of the pandemic, swabs were only being done by governmental hospitals and at special testing centers. Today, testing has become widely available from governmental hospitals to private clinics. In addition, home swabs are also available, although at a higher price.
A professor of epidemiology at Harvard University stressed on the importance of testing. He stated that testing should be done as often as possible to as many people as possible.
Surpassed China
With a population of around 4.3 million people, Kuwait has surpassed China, as of August 31 by 61 confirmed COVID-19 cases.
Currently, Kuwait ranks third in the Gulf and Arab world and seventh in the world in the number of confirmed cases per one million people.
The highest number of infections were in May, as there were a total of 23,019 confirmed cases. The number of confirmed cases went down in August to a total of 18,152 cases.
As for the death rate, Kuwait ranks second in the Middle East and 48 in the world in terms of numbers of death per one million people.
“Let us cooperate to reduce the number of cases by adhering to the health requirements to ensure that the opening of the economy and country can remain,” Dr. Basel Al Sabah, the Minister of Health said in a Tweet on Thursday.
After six months of economic and social restrictions, on Sunday Kuwait lifted its curfew, the longest consecutive curfew in the world.