Kuwait City: As a sign that the health situation is stabilising in Kuwait, the number of COVID-19 patients undergoing treatment in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is the lowest recorded since January.
As of Saturday, there are 89 patients in the ICU, a 250 per cent decrease compared to a month ago. Last week, Dr. Abdullah Al Mutairi, a consultant at the ICU at the Jaber Al Ahmad hospital, said three COVID-19 ICU wards have closed as patient occupancy decreases.
Last Sunday, Kuwait recorded 167 COVID-19 cases, the lowest number of cases since April 28, 2020. The percentage of cases compared to the number of swabs conducted has dropped significantly to around 1.6 per cent, a huge decline compared to few months where the average percentage was around 13 and 14 per cent.
The number of COVID-19 deaths have also declined, with the Ministry of Health recording around two to three a day, as against double digits in June and July.
Health officials have said that the drop in cases, deaths and hospitalisations are a result of the increase in vaccinated individuals.
Kuwait’s Minister of Health, Dr. Basel Al Sabah, said in a Tweet last week, that they have achieved 70 per cent vaccination. It is not clear whether it means that 70 per cent of the total population is vaccinated or those eligible for the vaccine, meaning anybody above the age of 12.
Dr. Khaled Al Saeed, a member of the COVID-19 committee at the Ministry of Health, revealed that Kuwait is set to achieve herd immunity by September. He also pointed out that there is a spike in vaccination, with around 2 per cent of the population receiving a jab daily.
