Caution still needed despite COVID-19 infections decline: presidential Health advisor

CAIRO – 29 July 2020: “Despite the notable decline in Coronavirus, COVID-19 infections in Egypt; the Caution, using face masks, and prevention of overcrowding should continue until we pass this stage safely”, presidential Health and Prevention Affairs advisor Mohamed Awad Tag El-Din said.

He added in statements to MBC Masr Channel that despite the decline of infections; the virus did not disappear yet which means “the threat still exists”.

Tag El-Din noted that starting of next October until March, different respiratory viruses become active. Adding that reaching case zero in Egypt depends on the nature of the virus and its potential of becoming internationally endemic disease.

“There is a possibility that COVID-19 becomes endemic as a frequent respiratory disease in the winter; however, it is not certain." Tag El-Din said.

Health Ministry’s coronavirus (COVID-19) committee Hossam Hosny, said Monday that a second wave of coronavirus (COVID-19) might be expected by next November in Egypt.

He added in statements that this wave comes in conjunction with the influenza virus season which possess a stress and challenge to diagnose patients accurately, especially that Symptoms of influenza and Corona are similar.

Hosny affirmed that the ministry is ready for all possible scenarios and that Hospitals have all quick-diagnoses tools needed for this stage.

The Ministry’s coronavirus committee head said that Egypt has so far received voluntary plasma donors in 15 centers nationwide, saying that convalescent plasma of 420 donors has been accepted, with a success rate of 60 percent in critical and severe cases.

The country now has a large strategic stock of convalescent plasma, Hossam Hosni said, adding that the ministry will announce on Monday the results of plasma injection.

Officials’ remarks on the efficiency of plasma treatment for serious coronavirus cases are contradictory

Earlier in July, Noha Essam, advisor to the Health Minister told Egypt Today that plasma treatment has shown significant and strong results but it does not work with all cases. Essam added that plasma therapy did not work with cases in critical conditions.

However, in June, Zayed stated that the convalescent plasma transfusion experiment for patients with critical coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms has shown successful results in Egypt.

The experiment to inject convalescent plasma has contributed to reducing the need for ventilators and increasing the number of recoveries, Zayed said.