DUBAI: More than 20,000 people in Kuwait have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, the Kuwait News Agency has reported, citing the country’s health minister.

The Gulf country rolled out its nationwide vaccination campaign nearly a month ago, and around a quarter of a million people have registered online to get the vaccine.

An electronic vaccination certificate will be given to those who take the jab, and it will serve as an “immunity passport” to be checked at foreign airports, the report said.

Dr. Basel Al-Sabah, Kuwait’s health minister, urged the public to sign up for the inoculation, saying the pandemic “is not over yet.”

He said the country was prepared to conduct the vaccination drive smoothly, with well-trained health workers and centers that can accommodate up to 10,000 people.

But the minister said pre-pandemic normalcy is only likely to return in 2022, echoing the World Health Organization’s prognostics.

Kuwait has recorded 155,874 cases of COVID-19 and 946 datalities.