Kuwait set to receive first batch of Covid-19 vaccines this week

The first batch of coronavirus vaccines are expected to arrive in Kuwait on Tuesday or Wednesday, senior officials have said.

The first batch includes around 150,000 doses, which will be administered to 75,000 individuals, since each person will get two shots, local media quoted Covid vaccination committee official Khalid Al-Saeed as saying.

Kuwait earlier approved the use of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in the country and has also opened out its vaccination registration portal.

According to Saeed, over 60,000 people have registered on the platform so far.

In the first stage, the vaccine will be administered to frontline workers including doctors and nurses, the elderly and those who suffer from chronic diseases.

Those who have registered will receive messages with details about when they can get the shot at the Mishref fairgrounds. Saeed also stressed that precautionary measures will be taken during the vaccination process that specialised doctors will be on site to ensure safety.

The government is aiming to vaccinate 10,000 people a day.

Kuwait reported 204 new coronavirus infections on Sunday, with the total number of cases in the country so far reaching 147,979.

It also recorded three additional deaths, taking the death toll to 921.

The number of patients hospitalised stood at 3,132 as of Sunday, with 60 of them in intensive care units.

Total recoveries reached 143,926, after 285 additional patients recovered, the health ministry said.