By Tamara Abueish

DUBAI -- Kuwait reports 50 new cases of the coronavirus, raising the total number of infections in the country to 1,405, the Ministry of Health announced on Wednesday.

The new cases involve 43 people who had direct contact with previously infected individuals, the ministry said.

The coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, spreads primarily through droplets generated when an infected person coughs or sneezes, or through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose.

Out of the 50 new cases, seven are currently under epidemic investigation to determine how they got infected with the virus.

Meanwhile, 31 people are in the intensive care units of Kuwait’s healthcare facilities.

The coronavirus death toll in Kuwait stands at three.

A total of 30 people recovered from the virus in the country in the last 24 hours, bringing the number of recoveries to 206, Minister of Health Basel Al-Sabah announced earlier.

Health officials have been keeping active surveillance of COVID-19 patients and tracing their recent contacts to determine if others were infected as well, the health ministry spokesman said on Wednesday.

The number of daily reported cases in Kuwait seems to be dropping for the fourth consecutive day. On Tuesday, Kuwait confirmed 55 new cases. On Monday, Kuwait reported 66 new cases, compared to 80 on Sunday -- a significant drop from the day before, when 161 new cases had been reported. -- Al Arabiya English