Egypt's Ministry of Health cautioned those who wear facemasks as a precautionary measure against the coronavirus against reusing single-use masks, an official statement said. “Protect yourself and those who are around you, and avoid reusing a single-use mask,” the statement said. The health ministry has always called upon citizens to wear facemasks in public, maintain physical distancing, and avoid crowded places since the outbreak of the coronavirus in March. On 27 December, wearing facemasks was announced as an obligatory measure to face the second coronavirus wave when the cabinet imposed a EGP 50 fine for not wearing masks in indoors spaces, public or private crowd transportation, and open markets. Egypt saw a noticeable drop in coronavirus cases, with the infection rate dropping by 21 percent in the first ten days of January compared to the last week of December 2020, said Minister of Health Hala Zayed in her latest press briefing on Monday. The country has already received the first batch of the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine, and 34 centres have been allocated nationwide for the long-awaited vaccination initiative, she stated in the conference. The minister added that Egypt is expected to receive a shipment of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine within two to three weeks from the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisations. For the oxygen supplies, the ministry confirmed that it has increased oxygen supply to all hospitals by 50 percent by doubling the production rate at a number of factories producing medical oxygen.
