FILE - Magdy Yacoub Heart Foundation - Courtesy of its Facebook page
CAIRO – 9 April 2020: The Magdy Yacoub Heart Foundation in Upper Egypt’s Aswan said in a statement on Wednesday that it recently found four coronavirus (COVID-19) cases inside the center, including three security staff and a patient.
The heart surgery center, which was established in 2009, said it informed the Ministry of Health to take the necessary procedures.
“The administration of the center is taking the appropriate measures, including isolating the areas where [infected] cases were found, sterilizing other areas and accurately tracking those in contact [with the cases], in light of the international and local guidelines,” the statement read.
Also, at least 17 medical staff in a hospital in Dakahlia in northern Egypt tested positive for coronavirus, a medical official in the health directorate in the governorate said. The hospital has been subsequently closed for two weeks.
The directorate also quarantined 56 cases despite testing negative for coronavirus, and also quarantine 103 others inside the Mansoura University hostel away from their families.
A medical source revealed that the infection started with a woman who came to the hospital to complain of high temperature and airway inflammation. She later tested positive for coronavirus.
In Menoufia, in northern Egypt, the National Liver Institute said two nurses at the institute were infected with coronavirus.
Late in March, the Egyptian Medical Syndicate confirmed the death of the first doctor in Egypt due to coronavirus. Ahmed Al-Lawah, 57, died in a quarantine hospital in Ismailia in northeastern Egypt.
Also, the country’s National Cancer Institute (NCI) was closed after detecting 17 positive cases of coronavirus among the medical staff.
On March 29th, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi ordered Sunday to boost the allowance of those working in the medical field by a 75 percent increase as a gesture of appreciation for their current efforts to contain the threat of coronavirus.
The president’s directions came during a meeting that included prime minister Mustafa Madbouli, ministers of defense and military production, minister of higher education, minister of finance, and minister of health to discuss the current situation.
Sisi praised the efforts exerted by the medical doctors and ordered to allocate 2.25 billion pounds to boost medical staffers’ allowance, he also issued a directive about launching a risk fund for doctors and workers in the medical field.
The president ordered to issue exceptional rewards for the workers at quarantine, chest, and fever hospitals.
Daily report
The Egyptian Ministry of Health on Wednesday said another 110 people tested positive for the novel coronavirus, bringing the total number of cases in the northeastern African country to 1,560, including 305 people who recovered.
The death toll due to infection with the virus also rose to 103, after the ministry confirmed nine new deaths during the past 24 hours.
On the other side, 29 people infected with the COVID-19 left quarantine as they recovered. This raises the total of the recovered cases to 305, among 439 people whose results turned to negative.
Measures
On Wednesday, the prime minister gave a speech to announce measures to curb the spread of coronavirus, including extending curfew and the flight ban in the northeastern African country until April 23rd.
Among the decisions intensifying sterilization procedures for all state facilities and deducting salaries of the prime minister and state ministers by 20 percent for three months to support precarious employment.
“Our projections for this week were 120-150 cases daily. There will be increases in the number of infections in the coming two or three weeks…but the more important thing is that the rise is slight and gradual,” Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli noted.
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