Egypt’s health minister: 3rd coronavirus wave sees 10% surge in cases worldwide

CAIRO – 24 April 2021: Egypt’s Health Minister Hala Zayed said on Saturday the third coronavirus wave worldwide has seen an increase of 10 percent in new cases and 7 percent in related deaths.

In a press conference to address the coronavirus situation in the country, Zayed said the coronavirus cases are slightly increasing every week.

She affirming that the surge in cases this month was expected as it coincides with religious occasions, including Ramadan, and related social activities that help the virus to spread.

Zayed urged citizens over 50 and those suffering from chronic diseases to head to hospitals or call the specialized hotline (14440) immediately after contracting the virus and showing symptoms.

Zayed said the ministry has allocated 50 percent of its hospitals to receive coronavirus patients.

She reassured people that 47 percent of the ICU beds inside these hospitals remain unoccupied, denying recent claims that Upper Egypt’s governorate suffer from a shortage in ICU beds.

The minister said she holds a daily virtual meeting with heads of the quarantine hospitals nationwide to follow up on the coronavirus situation and meet the hospitals’ needs.

Zayed mourned the death of hundreds of doctors who succumbed to the novel disease, saying only 115 of them contracted coronavirus inside the quarantine hospitals they work in.

Zayed urged citizens and medical workers to register to take the vaccine, saying she noticed that many of the citizens and medical staff have been reluctant to take the vaccine.

The minister said only 50 percent of the medical staff at most registered for the vaccine and 60 percent or less of those who registered went to actually take the vaccine.

Zayed referred to a World Health Organization’s advice for people to take the available vaccine in their countries.

Egypt is currently vaccinating citizens with the Sinopharm and the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines and plans to locally produce the Chinese Sinovac and the Russian Sputnik V vaccines.

Zayed referred to two agreements signed in April between Sinovac and Egypt’s Holding Company for Biological Products and Vaccines (VACSERA) to allow the latter to produce 40 million vaccine doses per year.

She noted that Chinese experts will soon arrive in Egypt, adding that Egypt will produce from 40 to 60 million Sinovac doses in the first year, including 5 million in the first two months.

The minister also referred to a meeting this month with Russian Ambassador to Cairo Georgiy Borisenko discussed means of manufacturing the Russian vaccine in Egypt through the Egyptian companies.

This aims to secure the local needs for the vaccines and increase investment opportunities by exporting vaccine doses to the African market.

Zayed said the safety and effectiveness of the coronavirus vaccines reach 90 percent and only 1-10 out of 1 million people may suffer from blood clotting after taking the vaccine.

As Egypt has so far received over 1.5 million coronavirus vaccines, Zayed said during the press conference that millions of vaccines are set to arrive from Sinopharm and through the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX).