Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine
The fifth shipment of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is to arrive in Kuwait on Sunday. Image Credit: AFP

Kuwait City: The fifth shipment of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is to arrive in Kuwait on Sunday, local media reported.

So far, Kuwait has received around 550,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine, 150,000 in the first shipment and 100,000 in every other shipment following, a source told Al Jarida.

The Pfizer vaccine is being prioritized for those above the age of 65 and between the ages of 16-17, as only those above the age of 18 can receive the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.

Kuwait has received one shipment of the Oxford vaccine, which contained around 200,000 doses. A second shipment is expected to arrive during the first week of March with around 400,000 doses.

Vaccination process

Last week, the Minister of Health, Dr Basel Al Sabah, revealed that out of the 454,000 people who have registered for the vaccine, 238,000 are non-Kuwaitis.

Of the 215,000 Kuwaitis who registered, so far 119,000 of them received the jab, Dr Basel pointed out.

Kuwait has ramped up testing in the past few days, with the total number of people vaccinated reaching 137,000, according to Dr Basel.