Egyptians’ recklessness with anti-coronavirus measures increases infection rate: VACSERA official

CAIRO - 30 April 2020: The rate of infection with the new coronavirus (COVID-19) disease in Egypt is likely to reach its peak in May due to the people’s reckless behavior regarding the protective measures against the pandemic, said Head of the Allergy and Immunology department in the Egyptian Institute for Vaccine and Serum (VACSERA) Amgad al-Haddad.

In a phone call with “Now” talk show on Extra News channel on Thursday, Haddad said that the people do not abide by the precautionary measures during their gatherings, noting that the partial curfew that has been imposed on people only applies to the main streets, while people gather normally in the side streets.

"The gatherings are catastrophic [...] and everyone is equally exposed to the infection,” he said, calling upon people to follow a healthy diet and upon the elderly people to stay at home.

The Ministry of Health announced on Wednesday that 226 people in Egypt tested positive for the COVID-19 recently and 21 people died, bringing the total number of reported cases and deaths to 5,268 and 380, respectively.

As many as 1,712 people of the reported cases had their results turn negative, including 1,335 people who fully recovered.

Also, 31 cases, all of them Egyptians, left the hospital after they recovered, according to the instructions of the World Health Organization (WHO).

President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi ordered Tuesday providing all the needed medical supplies to the quarantine and isolation hospitals all over the country.

Since mid-March, Egypt has taken certain strict measures to protect the public from the spread of coronavirus pandemic. The government has taken gradual steps in dealing with the coronavirus spread, starting with suspending schools and universities, and international flights.

Furthermore, a night-time curfew has been imposed since March 24, 2020. Additionally, the Ministry of Awqaf [Endowment] extended the closure of the mosques and the places of worship nationwide until further notice.