Egypt's health ministry said in a statement on Saturday that it recorded 923 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of confirmed infections nationwide to 81,158 cases since the detection of the first case on 14 February. Health ministry spokesman Khaled Megahed said in the statement that the new cases were detected through the ministry's investigation and contact tracing protocols. This is the third day in a row that the health ministry records fewer than 1,000 daily cases. The country recorded its highest single-day rise of infections of 1,774 cases on 19 June. The ministry said in the statement that it also reported 67 new deaths on Saturday, bringing the total number of fatalities from the respiratory virus to 3,769. The first coronavirus fatality announced in Egypt was on 8 March, with the highest single-day death toll to date recorded on 15 May, with 97 fatalities. The statement added that 602 patients have been discharged after recovering from the virus on Saturday, bringing the total number of recoveries to 23,876. Last Wednesday, the ministry said that the recovery rate for coronavirus patients in isolation hospitals has risen to 28.1 percent, marking the highest level since the epidemic hit the country. The country is currently witnessing a stable death rate of 4.5 percent from the virus, the ministry said in a statement sent to Ahram Online. Driven by economic concerns, Egypt began on 27 June to ease lockdown measures more than three months after they were imposed, lifting a nighttime curfew and allowing more businesses to reopen, including restaurants, coffee shops and cinemas.
