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.



Saudi Arabia, Egypt Stress Need for Immediate Ceasefire in Lebanon, Gaza

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abduallah and his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty meet in Riyadh in August. (SPA)
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abduallah and his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty meet in Riyadh in August. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia, Egypt Stress Need for Immediate Ceasefire in Lebanon, Gaza

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abduallah and his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty meet in Riyadh in August. (SPA)
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abduallah and his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty meet in Riyadh in August. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia and Egypt stressed on Friday the need for an “immediate and permanent ceasefire in Lebanon and Gaza.”

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abduallah held telephone talks with his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty to discuss the situation in Lebanon and the Israeli escalation in the region, given the ongoing coordination and cooperation between Riyadh and Cairo.

An Egyptian foreign ministry spokesman said the FMs condemned the Israeli assault on Lebanon that has left hundreds dead and wounded.

He stressed Saudi Arabia and Egypt’s “full solidarity with Lebanon and its brotherly people during this crisis.”

They underlined the importance of offering all forms of humanitarian assistance to the people and enabling the state and all of its institutions to perform their duties and impose its sovereignty throughout the country.

The FMs expressed their categorical rejection of any measures that may impact Lebanon’s sovereignty across its territories.

Moreover, they warned that the prolongation of the escalation may have consequences on the people of the region.

Prince Faisal and Abdelatty called for the full implementation of United Nations Security Council resolution 1701 by all concerned parties.

Furthermore, the FMs called on the international community, especially the Security Council, to assume its responsibilities in reaching an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Lebanon and Gaza.

Saudi Arabia and Egypt will continue to coordinate to address the dangers in the Arab region caused by the Israeli assault against the Lebanese and Palestinian people.