Following 17 new cases reported on Thursday, the number of those infected with coronavirus in the country has risen to 43, revealed Kuwait’s Assistant Under-Secretary for Public Health Affairs at the Health Ministry Dr. Buthaina Al-Mudhaf.
Addressing a press-conference, Dr. Al-Mudhaf said the increase in the number of those infected came after 1,675 new swab tests were taken from individuals returning from countries known to have coronavirus infection. She added that all those found to be infected have been quarantined in designated areas of hospitals and were being treated in line with protocols stipulated by the World Health Organization (WHO). The health officials also went on to point out that all those infected were in good health and showing signs of recovery.
In a televised interview late on Wednesday, Health Minister, Dr. Basel Al-Sabah reiterated that the ministry was taking all necessary precautionary measures to curtail the spread of COVID-19 in the country. He stressed that the ministry would continue to inform the public on a regular basis on the latest developments on the viral infection, both locally and on the international front.
The health minister also addressed concerns among the public about death from the infection and noted that the recovery rate for COVID-19 was as high as 98 percent, and that only a small percent of those infected had so far succumbed to the virus — mostly young children and the elderly, as well as those whose immune systems were weak. Out of the more than 80,000 infected cases worldwide, only fewer than 2,500 are known to have died. The minister also urged citizens and residents to follow the official news about the infection from the health ministry and not to believe everything being circulated on social media platforms.