Egyptian scientists abroad decry Toronto Uni over inaccurate figures

CAIRO - 18 March 2020: Egyptian scientists abroad wrote a letter on Tuesday to the President of the University of Toronto criticizing false claims made by the University’s researcher and clinical investigator Isaac Bogoch, in which he alleged the number of coronavirus cases in Egypt is 19,310, according to the Egyptian Streets.

The Egyptian scientists included prominent Egyptian-American space scientist and geologist Farouk El Baz, they accused the University of spreading panic among Egyptian citizens by releasing inaccurate figures and information.

In the letter, the scientists urged the University to launch an investigation into Bogoch’s research for scientific misconduct. The scientists have also criticized the Guardian and New York Times newspapers after publishing the false figures of Bogoch.

In a Tuesday statement, SIS demanded an apology from the Guardian for publishing the report that cited a study by a Canadian Medical Doctor claiming that infected people in the country may amount to more than 19,000. The official number stands at 196, with six deaths and 26 recovered cases at the time of writing.

The statement said that the Guardian reporter license in Egypt was canceled and that they gave a warning to the chief of the New York Times Cairo bureau Declan Walsh.

The Egyptian Ministry of Health has announced on Tuesday that the number of coronavirus cases in Egypt rose to 196 and the death tally was upped to six.