Cumulative COVID-19 Cases Exceed 500,000 in Six Gulf Countries

Worshippers maintaining social distancing to prevent COVID-19 are performing evening prayers around the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the Islamic holy site.
[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] The cumulative number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in six Middle Eastern Gulf countries?Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Oman?has surpassed 500,000.

According to health authorities in these countries as of midnight the previous day (local time) on the 8th, the total cumulative confirmed cases were recorded at 501,216.

By country, Saudi Arabia, with the largest population of 34.22 million, recorded the highest number of confirmed cases at 246,000. Qatar followed with about 100,000 cases, the UAE with about 53,000, and Kuwait with about 51,000.

Over the past month, the daily new confirmed cases in these countries fluctuated between 7,000 and 8,000 without showing a clear trend. On the 3rd, the daily new confirmed cases peaked at 8,382, marking the highest number.

Considering the total population of these six countries is approximately 57 million, the cumulative and daily new confirmed cases are relatively high compared to countries with similar population sizes such as Italy, South Africa, and Korea.

However, this trend may not only indicate rapid COVID-19 spread but also reflect the impact of large-scale testing. Currently, among countries with populations over one million, Bahrain and the UAE rank first and second in tests conducted per capita. Qatar and Kuwait also rank within the top 30.

Because large-scale testing has been conducted on relatively small populations, Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait rank first to third worldwide in confirmed cases per capita, while Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE are also within the top ten.

Nonetheless, since these countries have been gradually easing lockdown measures such as travel and religious activity bans, business restrictions, and entry bans since last month, the number of confirmed cases may increase further going forward.

As of the 7th, the total number of deaths in the six countries is 3,176 (fatality rate 0.6%), with Saudi Arabia having the highest death toll at 2,017. The daily average number of deaths over the past week was 69.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.