70 percent of the eligible population in Kuwait have received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, an official at the Kuwaiti Ministry of Health said on a tweet on Sunday. As the vaccination rate increases, the country witnesses a severe drop in COVID-19 cases, deaths and hospitalizations, vaccination speed up. In the past few months, the Ministry of Health has been ramping up its vaccination campaign by opening up new vaccine centers and reducing the time between the first and second dose. In addition, like all other Gulf countries, Kuwait has authorized administering the COVID-19 vaccine to children between the ages of 12 and 15 years old. With in-person learning in public schools set to resume on Oct.3 and in private schools on Sept.26, a health official revealed more than 300,000 students between the ages of 12 and 18 have been vaccinated. As number of countries around the world administer a booster shot of the COVID-19 vaccine, Kuwait's Ministry of Health said it will also begin administering a third dose to at-risk groups by the end of September. Those eligible for the shot are the elderly, patients with organ transplants, cancer and chronic diseases. Although all those eligible for the shot will receive an appointment, it is optional. — Agencies