1 Year Into The Covid-19 Crisis In Kuwait

Over 189,000 infection cases and 1,072 deaths from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic have been reported in Kuwait as of Sunday, 28 February, 2021. Infection numbers and deaths recorded in the country have soared since the first case of virus infection was reported a year ago. 

In a statement on a year into living under the pandemic’s shadow, Kuwait’s Health Minister, Sheikh Dr. Basel Al-Sabah acknowledged that despite the best efforts of the authorities, the infections and deaths have been increasing in recent weeks and those needing admittance into intensive care units were soaring. He pointed to the lack of adherence to anti-COVID protocols by some people in society as the main cause for the resurgence of the virus and said that this would unravel the gains achieved by the country so far. 

The health minister reiterated the need for everyone to cooperate with the authorities in stemming the spread of the disease, while thanking all health and frontline workers for their tremendous efforts over the past year in a bid to contain, curtail and mitigate the impact of the pandemic in Kuwait. He also appreciated the support extended by the country’s leadership in the fight against the disease.

Initial cases of coronavirus infection in Kuwait were first reported on 24 February, 2020, among people  arriving in the country following their evacuation from the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad, after the coronavirus infected and claimed several lives in that city. Five days later, by the end of February, the number of confirmed infections had climbed to 45 by the end of February

To prevent the spread of the virus, authorities immediately announced that passengers suspected of carrying the disease or who traveled through China or Hong Kong in the last 14 days before their arrival in Kuwait will be denied entry. And, on 11 March, Kuwaiti Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) suspended all travel, except cargo flights, to and from Kuwait starting from 13 March, effectively locking down the nation until further notice. 

The government also urged people to voluntarily remain at home without venturing outside unless in an emergency. To facilitate this voluntary stay at home, the government suspended work across all government sectors except emergency services. With voluntary confinement proving less than successful, the authorities introduced a partial curfew on 22 March 2020 between 5pm until 4am. This was amended on 6 April, with the curfew extended to 6am. However, with the onset of the Holy month of Ramadan on 24 April, the partial curfew was further extended until 8am with special permissions for deliveries from 5 pm until 1am, under strict health code conditions.

On 10 May, the country was placed under full curfew based on the assessment of the Ministry of Health, until the end of May. Kuwait ended its official full curfew on 30 May and started taking steps towards a gradual return to normal life by placing a partial curfew from 6pm until 6am. This was part of a five-step phase planned by the government to gradually relax restrictions in the country, with each step tentatively lasting for three weeks. The start of the next phase of relaxations were dependent on the prevailing health situation and assessment and approval by the Ministry of Health. 

The source of the pandemic outbreak has been linked to a wet market in Wuhan in the Hubei province, China). Human-to-human and patient-to-medical staff transmission of the virus were confirmed. Many of the associated fatalities have been due to pneumonia caused by the virus.

Though the virus was first detected at the end of November in Wuhan City in the Hubei Province of China it was reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) only at the end of December 2019, and on 12 January, 2020, the global health organization confirmed that a novel coronavirus was the cause of a respiratory illness reported by the Chinese health authorities. A month later, the WHO declared the COVID-19 outbreak as a “very grave threat,” to the global community.

Countries worldwide began introducing different levels of various virus screening and quarantining measures at their entry points and airports, as well as implementing extensive travel restrictions. Initially reported symptoms were similar to that of pneumonia, including dry cough, chest pain, fever, and labored breathing. The new coronavirus was later identified as being closely related to the influenza virus, or the flu, which is a common cause of viral pneumonia.

To reduce the general risk of transmission, people were advised to abide by various health and safety guidelines, including frequently clean hands by using alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water and to cover their mouth and nose with flexed elbow or tissue, as well as throw away the tissue and wash their hands immediately. The use of face masks, which is now ubiquitous in public places, was only an afterthought. 

People were also asked to immediately seek medical care and share their latest movements in public space to their healthcare providers. These guidelines were later amended to include social distancing protocols and the wearing of face masks in public places. It is noteworthy that one year into the virus, these initial health precautions still remain valid, and in some places they remain the only protection that people can access and afford against the virus.

Around 200,000 Kuwaitis and 25,000 expats have been vaccinated, according to the latest data, despite more than half of those registered for the vaccination being expatriates. This skewed delivery of vaccines have been criticized by some people while being approved by others. The initially slow pace of the vaccination drive picked up pace in recent weeks following the arrival of new batches of vaccines and the opening of more inoculation centers. 

Kuwait said that vaccine delivery was not discriminatory and that the health authorities were prioritising all frontline workers and those in high-risk groups. Nevertheless, with a rate of administering 6.1 shots per 100 people for a population of about 4.5 million, Kuwait is not among the front runners in the delivery of vaccines, though it was among the first to receive supplies of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines from the United States and AstraZeneca from India. Israel ranks among the top in administering vaccines to residents, the rate is 91 per 100 people.

Health Minister Sheikh Dr. Basel Al-Sabah had promised that most of the population would be vaccinated by September, 2021, Health Minister Basel Al-Sabah has said. The estimated 850,000 Kuwaiti citizens who want to be inoculated will get their shots within three months, as long as supplies are not disrupted, he added. Unlike Kuwait, the UAE has approved use of China’s Sinopharm vaccine alongside the Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca shots.

However it was not all bleak news that emerged from one year of living under the global pandemic. In a reflection of the aphorism that there is opportunity in every crisis, people and societies have learned to adapt to the virus, and in some cases thrive during the pandemic. Disposable face masks, gloves, PCR kits and now, preventive vaccine manufacturers, are having a hey-day meeting the ongoing global demand for these supplies.

A major positive outcome of the pandemic has been a new sense of community and social cohesion. People as social animals who desire relationships, contact and interaction with other humans, have been suffocating under self-isolation, curfews and lockdowns imposed by the authorities. But people have been finding new ways to address the need for interconnectedness.  

In some places people are joining their instruments and voices to create music from their balconies. People are leading street dance parties while maintaining social distancing. People are also using social media platforms to connect, such as the Facebook group The Kindness Pandemic, with hundreds of daily posts. There is a huge wave of formal and informal volunteering where people use their skills and abilities to help others in need.

COVID-19 has also been a major market disruptor with many businesses having to reinvent themselves to stay afloat, and in some cases thrive, during the general economic slowdown with a reinvigorated sense of ‘business as unusual’ philosophy.

Solely dine-in restaurants have turned to takeaway and home delivery venues, retailers in many places have embraced online shopping and have rapidly digitized their offerings and payment modes.

A recent study by  Mastercard , the multinational financial services corporation, has revealed a rapid growth in online shopping in the region during the ongoing pandemic period. Nearly three out of four (73%) consumers in the Middle East and Africa were found to be shopping more online than they did before the pandemic.

Shoppers have also been rapidly moving away from cash and opting for contact-free and digital payment experiences. According to the survey, data top ups, apparel, groceries, banking and healthcare  were found to have the highest surge in online activity. More than 70 percent of consumers in the Middle East and Africa said they had shopped more online for data top ups, 63 percent for clothing, and over 52 percent said they had purchased groceries online. 

And, as e-commerce increasingly becomes a part of everyday life, consumers are moving other aspects of their financial management to digital, with 66 percent of respondents having started banking online, and 56 percent managing their healthcare needs online. 

The survey also showed that in Kuwait, as with the rest of the region, shoppers are increasingly going online for their day to day needs including groceries, banking, managing their healthcare and much more. People have also been changing the way they consume entertainment and learn new skills. Over three-quarters of consumers said they were using the downtime as a positive learning experience. 

More than half of the respondents (55%) said they had taken a virtual cooking class, 41 percent said they have been mastering a new language and 32 percent have been learning to dance online. Around 45 percent of respondents have been educating themselves on Do-It-Yourself (DIY) projects, and 44percent said they are enrolling in an online university. 

As people spend more time at home, the demand for online entertainment has also surged with 72 percent of respondents having invested in entertainment subscriptions and virtual stand-up comedy shows, while over five in ten people are spending on online gaming (55%) and virtual music concerts (54%). 

On the philosophical side, the COVID-19 crisis has given rise to a new sense of appreciation and gratefulness. The virus has offered a new perspective on everything we have taken for granted for so long – our freedoms, leisure, connections, work, family and friends. We have never questioned how life as we know it could be suddenly taken away from us. Hopefully, when this crisis is over, we will exhibit new levels of gratitude. This sense of gratefulness can also help us develop our resilience and overcome the crisis in the long-term.

 

SOURCE : TIMES KUWAIT

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