Kuwait-Qatar: Daily cases rose above previous records

The daily incidence rates of the new coronavirus, recorded in Kuwait and Qatar, are now higher than those recorded at previous pandemics in the summers of 2021 and 2020, respectively, as cases rise in all Gulf states.

Kuwait today announced 2,999 new cases of Covid-19. This is the fourth day that the number of cases exceeds the record of 1,993 cases recorded last July.

During the last quarter of 2021, Kuwait recorded less than 50 daily cases.

Qatar, with a population of about 2.8 million, announced yesterday, Saturday, 3,487 new cases – almost 10% of those taking diagnostic tests – surpassing the previous record of 2,355 cases recorded in May 2020.

Qatar yesterday reinstated a series of rules restricting home concentrations to 10 vaccinated people, barring unvaccinated people from shopping malls and restaurants, and lowering the capacity limits of some commercial establishments. Schools in Qatar resumed distance learning by at least January 27th.

Aiming to ease pressure on Qatar’s diagnostic infrastructure, authorities on Wednesday invited travelers and some symptomatic people to undergo rapid antigen testing that does not require laboratory treatment instead of PCR testing.

Qatar has also opened a new ten-lane PCR diagnostic test center, where citizens can take the test while in their car. The new center has the ability to do up to 5,000 tests a day.

Saudi Arabia, the largest Gulf state with a population of about 30 million, has also seen a rapid increase in cases since the beginning of the year. The kingdom recorded 3,460 new cases today and is still below the record of more than 4,700 cases recorded in June 2020.

In the United Arab Emirates, the Gulf’s tourist and shopping hub, the past three weeks have also seen a rise in cases, as the country hosts a global exhibition during the peak tourist season. Authorities announced today 2,759 new infections.

Source: AMPE