Egypt’s Health Ministry on Thursday confirmed 1,003 new coronavirus cases, 59 deaths and 700 recovered cases.
The country has now reported 226,531 confirmed cases, 170,008 recovered cases, and 13,278 deaths.
Egypt’s Presidential Adviser for Health Affairs Mohamed Awad Tageldin warned that coronavirus cases across the nation are seeing a continuous increase, and entire families have become infected after failing to follow precautionary measures.
Case numbers began creeping up in March and are back to second wave peak levels. Egyptian officials have speculated that a third wave of the virus will hit during or after the month of Ramadan, which began on April 13.
Despite the ministry reporting a 75.5 percent increase in recovery rates, doctors and officials have warned the public to abide by coronavirus precautionary measures during the holy month, stating that social distancing is just as important as wearing a mask.
Meanwhile, the virus continues to wreak havoc on business and tourism, with Alexandria reporting a meager 15 percent hotel occupancy rate. Additionally, 15 percent of the city’s restaurants have closed as a result of the pandemic.
Egypt’s vaccination campaign that began in January is still working to vaccinate medical staff, people over the age of 65, and those with chronic illnesses, but registration for the jab is open to all.
The vaccine should cost no more than LE200 per person, Health Minister Hala Zayed announced, with low-income folks eligible to get their doses for free.
Egypt is currently using China’s Sinopharm vaccine and the UK’s AstraOxford vaccine. The Ministry of Health announced last week that it will soon begin producing Russia’s Sputnik V and China’s Sinovac vaccines at Vacsera.
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi himself has received the coronavirus vaccine to assure the public of the vaccine’s safety and efficiency.
