A year on from the start of the global coronavirus pandemic, Kuwait’s recovery — in both health and economic terms — remains in the balance. After dropping in late 2020, its Covid-19 infection rates hit new highs in March, raising fears of higher mortality rates and a choking of recovery in the domestic economy.
Fears of a protracted period of lower hydrocarbon revenues appear to have subsided for the time being. After dropping to a 17-year low in March 2020 on the back of lockdowns around the world, and restrictions on local and international travel, the price of oil has risen to above pre-crisis levels, as accelerating vaccine rollouts feed hopes of strong global demand in 2021–2022.