DUBAI: Kuwait’s first shipment of the COVID-19 vaccine would arrive on Wednesday and the inoculation process would begin next week, the health minister said on Tuesday.
Sheikh Basel Al-Sabah said the vaccine would be given out in four stages to prioritize those who need it most, and the first stage would include all health care providers, front-line workers and people aged over 65.
The number of those who have registered to receive the vaccine has reached 37,700 people so far, he said, adding that the turnout for registration is increasing continuously.
The minister said: “The vaccination process will continue in order to vaccinate all members of society and its groups who wish to receive the vaccine.”
He said the ministry is keen to vaccinate the largest percentage of the population as possible.
Along with other Gulf countries, Kuwait suspended all passenger flights to and from the emirate from 11 p.m. on Monday until Jan. 1.
Land borders and sea ports have also been closed, except for shipping operations.
Kuwait to receive COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday
https://arab.news/67pf6
Kuwait to receive COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday
- Kuwait will begin vaccinations from next week
- The vaccine would be given out in four stages
Hundreds mourn in Syria’s Homs after deadly mosque bombing
- Officials have said the preliminary investigations indicate explosive devices were planted inside the mosque but have not yet publicly identified a suspect
HOMS: Hundreds of mourners gathered Saturday despite rain and cold outside of a mosque in the Syrian city of Homs where a bombing the day before killed eight people and wounded 18.
The crowd gathered next to the Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib Mosque in the Wadi Al-Dhahab neighborhood, where the population is predominantly from the Alawite minority, before driving in convoys to bury the victims.
Officials have said the preliminary investigations indicate explosive devices were planted inside the mosque but have not yet publicly identified a suspect.
A little-known group calling itself Saraya Ansar Al-Sunna claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted on its Telegram channel, in which it indicated that the attack intended to target members of the Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shia Islam whom hard-line Islamists consider to be apostates.
The same group had previously claimed a suicide attack in June in which a gunman opened fire and then detonated an explosive vest inside a Greek Orthodox church in Dweil’a, on the outskirts of Damascus, killing 25 people as worshippers prayed on a Sunday.
A neighbor of the mosque, who asked to be identified only by the honorific Abu Ahmad (“father of Ahmad“) out of security concerns, said he was at home when he heard the sound of a “very very strong explosion.”
He and other neighbors went to the mosque and saw terrified people running out of it, he said. They entered and began trying to help the wounded, amid blood and scattered body parts on the floor.
While the neighborhood is primarily Alawite, he said the mosque had always been open to members of all sects to pray.
“It’s the house of God,” he said. “The mosque’s door is open to everyone. No one ever asked questions. Whoever wants to enter can enter.”
Mourners were unable to enter the mosque to pray Saturday because the crime scene remained cordoned off, so they prayed outside.
Some then marched through the streets chanting “Ya Ali,” in reference to the Prophet Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law whom Shiite Muslims consider to be his rightful successor.
