MINISTRY STRESSES NEED FOR CAUTION THESE DAYS

KUWAIT CITY, Dec 25, (Agencies): The Ministry of Health will resort to taking a number of measures in the event of an increase in the number of new cases of omicron variant, most notably stopping all non-emergency operations, opening more wards and intensive care units in hospitals, reintroducing field hospitals if necessary, and relying on examining patients and nonemergency cases through video calls or what is known as “telemedicine”, reports Aljarida daily quoting informed health sources. They stressed the readiness of the ministry to address any possible increases in the cases in the coming days.

The sources affirmed that daily meetings are being held by senior officials of the ministry with directors of all health zones and relevant central departments to determine the readiness of public hospitals to address the situation. They indicated that the ministry and all members of the medical, technical and administrative staff have accumulated experience during and after the pandemic period of more than 22 months, which made the sector experienced enough to deal with any developments. The sources highlighted the importance of adhering to the precautionary measures and following health requirements, of not being complacent during the coming period.

Effective
They explained that vaccination with the third booster dose is one of the most effective ways to protect against the new variant, especially with the approach of the month of January during which seasonal viral diseases are prevalent. The ministry had decided to stop the periodic vacations for all its employees, starting from next week until the end of January, in view of the global epidemiological situation and the developments resulting from the spread of the omicron variant. A circular issued by the Undersecretary of the ministry Dr. Mustafa Reda highlighted that this decision comes within the framework of ensuring the proper progress of work and providing the best health services

. In view of the developments in the global and local health situation, the Ministry of Health stressed the need for caution during gatherings, especially religious gatherings by some communities in these days on the occasion of the New Year’s Day. It wished safety and security for everyone, reports Al-Qabas daily. As part of the Ministry of Interior’s efforts to deal with the corona crisis and curb the spread of the omicron variant which coincided with the Christmas and New Year celebrations, the security authorities in the Capital Governorate coordinated with the churches to strictly implement the health and security regulations to prevent overcrowding, reports Al-Rai daily quoting sources from the security sector. In cooperation with seven churches in the country, the ministry laid down a comprehensive plan for the entry and exit in churches to ensure there is no crowding among the worshippers. Each church should fill only half of the capacity, in addition to setting three worship timings for the largest communities and two timings for others to prevent crowding in the churches, sources explained.

Measures
Member of the Board of Directors of Kuwait Travel and Tourism Agencies Association (KTTAA) and Chairman of the Media Committee in the association Hussein Al-Sulaiten said only three percent of travel ticket reservations for the New Year holiday were cancelled despite the health measures taken by some European countries and the discovery of omicron cases in Kuwait, reports Al-Anba daily. He disclosed the current sales of tourism and travel agencies increased slightly compared to the previous period, but the travel sector in general is still in a phase of fluctuation and instability.

He affirmed this is normal due to the emergence of the new variants of coronavirus, which prompted some people to change their travel plans. He said the most preferred destinations for the New Year holiday include Turkey, Dubai and Egypt; indicating that travel rate to Dubai increased remarkably when ticket prices dropped by 100 percent. He revealed the price of a ticket to Dubai reached more than KD200 in the past, while the current price ranges from KD90 to KD100. Kuwait’s Health Ministry on Friday said that 170 people tested positive for COVID-19 taking the total to 414,761. The recoveries rose by 40 to 411,256, while death toll from the pandemic remained unchanged at 2,467, the Ministry’s Spokesman Dr. Abdullah Al-Sanad told KUNA.