Suspected coronavirus patients to take separate routes inside hospitals: Min.

CAIRO – 10 April 2020: Egyptian Health Minister Hala Zayed reviewed plans to deal with coronavirus, in a meeting with the prime minister, including allocating separate places and routes inside hospitals for patients with suspected coronavirus (COVID-19).

The decision is expected to help curb the transmission of the novel virus from a patient to another as it allocates separate waiting rooms, inner rooms for quarantine and intensive care units for patients with suspected coronavirus, according to the minister.

Zayed also reviewed a decision obliging hospitals to receive emergency patients only and a decision to allocate fever and chest hospitals to examine patients with suspected coronavirus and refer those testing positive for the deadly virus to quarantine hospitals.

She noted that the country so far has 12 quarantine hospitals that include 2,241 beds, 407 intensive care beds, 346 ventilators. There are also 47 fever hospitals and 35 chest hospitals nationwide, she added.

During the meeting, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Khaled Abdel Ghaffar also reviewed national plans to temporarily designate some university hospitals and hostels as quarantine hospitals.

The designated university hospitals house 2,056 beds and 297 intensive care beds and 266 ventilators, Abdel Ghaffar said.



Ministry of Higher Education on Friday denied reports about an alleged shortage in medical supplies in the university hospitals, which are requires to face the novel coronavirus, the Cabinet’s media center said in a statement.

All medical and preventive supplies are available in university hospitals, the ministry said, adding that sufficient stock is also available.

The university hospitals are fully prepared with all capabilities required to face the coronavirus, the ministry said.

The Health Ministry on Thursday reported new 139 cases of coronavirus and 15 deaths, bringing the total number to 1,699 and 118 respectively.

The number of coronavirus cases whose tests turned from positive to negative increased to 468, including 348 people who recovered from the virus, the ministry added.

Health Ministry Spokesman Khaled Megahed said all the 139 new cases are Egyptians. All positive cases were quarantined at hospitals, the spokesman said.

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.