Egypt’s Health Ministry on Monday announced 991 new coronavirus cases, bringing the country’s total up to 223,514.
The total number of COVID-19-related deaths has now reached 13,107 nationwide, after the ministry announced 58 deaths.
And 876 patients were discharged from quarantine at isolation hospitals, raising Egypt’s total number of fully-recovered cases to 167,900.
Egypt’s Presidential Adviser for Health Affairs Mohamed Awad Tageldin warned that coronavirus cases across the nation are seeing a continuous increase, as entire families have become infected due to poorly following precautionary measures.
Tageldin added that President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi received the coronavirus vaccine himself to assure his citizens of the vaccine’s safety and efficiency.
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.
