Coronavirus in Kuwait: Cases rise to 80

By Mohamed Abdel-Ghaffar

KUWAIT CITY, Kuwait (AA) – Some eight more cases of the coronavirus were confirmed in Kuwait on Wednesday, bringing the total number to 80, according to the country’s Health Ministry.

Abdullah al-Sanad, a ministry spokesperson, said five of the 80 victims had recovered so far.

Earlier this week, the Kuwaiti government announced a series of measures to curb the outbreak. These included closing down academic institutions for two more weeks, and suspending all sports activities until further notice.

The Gulf nation has also stopped issuing visas to countries affected by the virus, which emerged in China last December and has since spread to 118 countries or territories.

The global death toll from COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, is past 4,600, with more than 124,000 confirmed cases, according to the World Health Organization.

The UN health body declared the outbreak a pandemic yesterday. A pandemic refers to an epidemic that has spread over several countries, affecting a large number of people.