FILE - Health Minister Hala Zayed checks precautionary measures to spread the spread of coronavirus as she receives Egyptians repatriated from China's city of Wuhan - Courtesy of the Health Ministry
CAIRO – 16 February 2020: Egyptian Health Minister Hala Zayed on Saturday said the only coronavirus case recorded in Egypt has shown no symptoms, and all those who dealt with him tested negative for the deadly virus but will be monitored for 15 days.
While the new virus, which emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, had stayed away from Africa, Egyptian Health Ministry and the World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday confirmed the country’s first case, a Chinese national who local authorities later said was moved to Matrouh governorate, in the northwestern part of the country, to be placed under quarantine.
The building where the case was in was evacuated, sterilized and became usable, Zayed said, in an interview with Kol Youm program on ON E TV.
The ministry started applying precautionary measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus since January 7th, Zayed said, adding that the ministry communicates with the WHO and managed in 24 hours to prepare a hospital in Matrouh that is able to receive 800 persons for quarantine.
The number of new cases from China's coronavirus epidemic dropped on Sunday, while the death toll jumped to 1,665. Tedros Adhanom, the World Health Organization (WHO) chief has warned it was "impossible" to predict how the outbreak would develop.
China is transparently, responsibly and openly cooperating with the international community, including Egypt, concerning coronavirus, spokesman of the Chinese embassy in Egypt said Saturday.
The spokesman stressed that the bilateral cooperation with Egypt to remain in an attempt to protect the public health.
The embassy’s statement came as Egypt's Health Ministry on Friday announced the first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus in Africa.
MENA contributed to the reporting
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