Kuwait managed the “Corona” crisis competently, and the global health commends its efforts

Kuwait was not isolated from the world in being affected by the repercussions of the Corona virus pandemic that swept the world, but it was vigilant from the first moments of announcing its discovery and took many measures to limit its spread and managed the crisis ably, which was praised by the World Health Organization.

The year 2020 witnessed unprecedented changes in the field of global epidemics, the outbreak of the Corona virus, which the World Health Organization described as a (pandemic) and urged governments around the world to take matters seriously and prepare for the first wave with several harsh measures.

Kuwait took the necessary measures and precautionary measures to limit the spread of the virus and its repercussions, and as soon as it received the first notification from the World Health Organization, it rushed to invite the (National Emergency Committee) to convene to consider possible ways to respond.

Accordingly, Kuwait conducted a medical examination for the returning passengers as of February 27, subjecting them to quarantine, and with the development of the situation, other measures were adopted, including the imposition of a complete ban on flights to and from the affected countries, regional isolation, and the provision of medical supplies, medicines and approved vaccines.

With the increase in global infection rates, social events and gatherings were stopped, followed by the imposition of a curfew from five in the evening until four in the morning, starting from March 22, 2020, and it extended its times later, as it imposed a complete curfew from Sunday, May 10, 2020 until May 30, 2020 to help curb the spread of the epidemic. .

It also established a number of quarries in hotels as a start, followed by the opening of the quarantine near (Jaber Al-Ahmad Sports Stadium) in April 2020, with a bed capacity of five thousand beds, and the establishment of a field hospital in (International Fairgrounds) in the Mishref area and (Farwaniya Field Hospital) in cooperation with the Guard the National.

After the adoption of vaccines globally, Kuwait launched its first vaccination campaign on December 24, 2020, through the Kuwait Vaccination Center, followed by the establishment of several centers in all governorates to facilitate those wishing to receive the vaccine from citizens and residents.

In this regard, the Assistant Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health for Drug and Food Control Affairs, Dr. Abdullah Al-Badr, told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) today, Monday, that Kuwait had a strategic stockpile of medicines, devices and medical supplies.

He added that since the detection of the first case in the world, Kuwait has prepared for this matter and has been closely following the development of the situation around the world and has fully prepared for the impact of Cabinet decisions to enhance the strategic stock of treatments.

He added that in May 2020, Kuwait wrote to major international companies producing vaccines to reserve quantities of them, and also made contacts with foreign Kuwaiti health offices in the United States and Britain to coordinate with companies concerned with the production of vaccines in this regard.

He explained that Kuwait has also written to the Federation of Drug Importers in Kuwait, as well as the World Federation of Owners of Producer Companies, to take the lead in purchasing vaccines as soon as they are approved by international regulatory authorities, pointing out that "the quantities of vaccines were requested according to the population of citizens and residents, including stimulant doses."

Al-Badr said that the ministry was holding periodic meetings with the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, China, the United States and Britain about experiences and expertise in this field and to identify the types of drugs that can be used in treatment protocols.

He explained that Kuwait has gone through this unique experience and succeeded by all standards in managing it, which qualifies it to be ready and prepared for any event or epidemic in the future, noting that there is a problem and strategic emergency committee that has been prepared to deal with Covid-19 if it spreads again.

In turn, the head of the (Covid-19) team, Dr. Hashem Al-Hashemi told (KUNA) that Kuwait has taken a number of measures to protect public health and prevent the spread of epidemics by evacuating all Kuwaitis stranded abroad in four stages, and the plan included 185 flights coming from 58 destinations around the world to reach The number of returnees is 31 thousand during the return stages.

He explained that Kuwait has suspended events and meetings in public places and imposed a ban on social events and regional isolation, in addition to closing restaurants and suspending regular flights for a period of 14 days to return its citizens stranded abroad, as well as activating an emergency plan.

He pointed out that in order to educate community members on how to verify what they receive and to reduce rumors, the Ministry of Information launched the "Takeef" campaign website to combat the phenomenon by educating people. The government also used the Shlonk application to evacuate citizens stranded abroad as a means of verifying data and entering the plane.

He pointed out that in the field of donations, voluntary campaigns and charitable works, Kuwait donated $40 million to the World Health Organization, from which Iraq, Iran, Palestine and China benefited. It also donated medical equipment to Yemen.

For his part, Director of the Public Health Department, Dr. Muhammad Al-Saedan, told (KUNA) that the “Corona” pandemic is the first pandemic of its kind in history in which technology and social media have been used on such a large scale to inform and inform people, maintain their safety, productivity and communication among them.

However, he explained that, on the other hand, the technology that we currently rely on for communication and information is giving way to a huge (information epidemic) that includes deliberate attempts to spread false information with the aim of undermining the response in the field of public health, hindering global response efforts and threatening the measures taken to combat the pandemic.

He added, "This false and misleading information can lead to harm to people's physical and psychological health, exacerbate stigmatization practices, threaten valuable health gains and encourage non-compliance with public health measures, thus limiting their effectiveness and threatening the ability of countries to halt the course of the pandemic."

He explained that Kuwait has realized that misinformation exaggerates lives, and that the lack of confidence and the lack of correct information makes people reluctance to benefit from diagnostic tests and thus the goals of immunization campaigns are lost and the virus continues to spread.

He added that Kuwait has intensified its media efforts to curb the spread of misinformation by joining forces with the efforts of the National Committee for Corona, the relevant state ministries and public benefit associations by publishing correct information about disease and vaccination.

On how to manage the (information epidemic) regarding viruses, Dr. Al-Saedan said that Kuwait recognizes the importance of confronting the (information epidemic) as an essential part of efforts to control the “Covid-19” pandemic by providing reliable content and taking measures to refute misleading and false information and harnessing digital technology in various aspects of the response. .

He pointed out that Kuwait has constantly and continuously confronted false and misleading information in the digital space, confronting harmful electronic activities that undermine the health response to the pandemic, and supporting the availability of accurate scientific data to the public through the media, awareness bulletins, and radio and television interviews.

On how to address other waves of the Corona pandemic (Covid-19) in the future in general, if they occur, Dr. Hamad Bastaki, head of the Infectious Diseases Control Department, told (KUNA) that "this will be through the continuous updating of the emergency plan to confront the spread of infectious diseases and the development and modernization of preparedness and response teams." for public health emergencies.

Bastaki said that the ministry was keen to continue developing and updating the emergency plan to confront epidemics and the outbreak of epidemics according to the latest developments, explaining that a guide had been prepared for all health workers in the field of public health and other health fields so that they could identify the necessary elements in a systematic manner in order to reach a conclusion. A maximum degree of preparedness to respond to any emergency disease that threatens public health.

He concluded by saying that "good planning and preparation for the confrontation, including the development and approval of emergency plans in relation to public health and infectious diseases, allows for the provision of all necessary assistance and allows for quick and decisive measures that ultimately lead to overcoming health crises and disasters with minimal losses." .

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