Kuwait Starts Covid-19 Jabs as Gulf Rolls out Mass Vaccinations

Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah on Saturday was the first person in the Gulf nation to receive a Covid-19 vaccine. (AFP)
Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah on Saturday was the first person in the Gulf nation to receive a Covid-19 vaccine. (AFP)
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Kuwait Starts Covid-19 Jabs as Gulf Rolls out Mass Vaccinations

Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah on Saturday was the first person in the Gulf nation to receive a Covid-19 vaccine. (AFP)
Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah on Saturday was the first person in the Gulf nation to receive a Covid-19 vaccine. (AFP)

Kuwait began coronavirus vaccinations on Thursday, following several other Gulf states in rolling out a mass inoculation campaign.

"This vaccine is safe and has been approved by many countries," said Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah, who was the first to receive the jab, state media reported.

Kuwait, which has officially confirmed more than 148,000 coronavirus cases including 924 deaths, received the first 150,000 doses of the vaccine developed by US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech on Wednesday.

Saudi Arabia, with more than 360,000 recorded cases including 6,148 deaths, began its campaign with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on December 17.

In Bahrain, which has recorded more than 90,000 cases including 350 deaths, vaccinations continued on Thursday. It has approved both the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and another developed by Chinese firm Sinopharm.

Officials in the capital Manama said that nearly 40,000 people have already received the vaccine.

In the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi began vaccinations on December 14 after approving the Sinopharm vaccine, while Dubai began its campaign using the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on Wednesday.

The UAE has confirmed nearly 200,000 cases, including 645 deaths.

Meanwhile, Oman, with more than 128,000 recorded cases, 1,491 of them fatal, is to launch its vaccination campaign on Sunday.

Qatar, which has confirmed more than 142,000 cases including 243 deaths, launched a vaccination campaign on Wednesday.



Albudaiwi Urges International Community to Act Immediately to Stop Israeli Aggression in Gaza Strip

A view shows houses and buildings destroyed in Israeli strikes, in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip, October 11, 2023. REUTERS/Anas al-Shareef
A view shows houses and buildings destroyed in Israeli strikes, in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip, October 11, 2023. REUTERS/Anas al-Shareef
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Albudaiwi Urges International Community to Act Immediately to Stop Israeli Aggression in Gaza Strip

A view shows houses and buildings destroyed in Israeli strikes, in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip, October 11, 2023. REUTERS/Anas al-Shareef
A view shows houses and buildings destroyed in Israeli strikes, in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip, October 11, 2023. REUTERS/Anas al-Shareef

Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Albudaiwi has renewed his call to the international community to assume its responsibilities and take urgent action to stop the grave Israeli aggression in Gaza Strip.
In a press release from the GCC General Secretariat, Albudaiwi stressed that one year since the start of military actions by Israeli occupation forces in Gaza, the humanitarian, security, and economic situation in the region has notably deteriorated.

According to SPA, he said, the situation necessitates immediate and decisive steps by the international community to put an end to the brutal Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people, de-escalate military operations and lift the blockade to ensure the provision of humanitarian aid and the opening of crossings, to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people.
Albudaiwi also emphasized the critical need to protect civilians, including those involved in relief and humanitarian work, who face severe dangers while fulfilling their vital roles. Furthermore, he reiterated that GCC countries consistently advocate for accountability for those responsible for crimes against humanity, for holding the Israeli government accountable for the violations committed by its forces against the defenseless Palestinian people.
He reaffirmed the GCC member states’ unwavering support for the Palestinian cause, and their commitment to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state within the June 4, 1967, borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative and relevant United Nations resolutions.
Albudaiwi called for united regional and international endeavors to secure an immediate and lasting ceasefire in Gaza and to provide essential assistance to the Palestinian people, thus fostering stability and security in the region.