Egypt detected 789 new coronavirus infections on Thursday, bringing total infections since the outbreak last year to 208,082. The health ministry reported 33 deaths, bringing total fatalities from the virus to 12,323. 439 patents have been discharged from hospitals in the past 24 hours after recovering from the virus, bringing total recoveries to 157,889. Egypt has urged caution against a possible rise in infections during the holy month of Ramadan, which begins next week. Health minister Hala Zayed said that there was a significant rise in infections in the past six weeks, especially in Upper Egypt. The minister urged adherence to preventive measures during Ramadan, which begins next week, warning citizens against family gatherings and other popular rituals during the month to stem the spread of infections. Egypt is set to receive the remainder of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccines as part of the global COVAX agreement within a month, according to Zayed. It will also receive additional doses of the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine in the coming days, which she estimated at up to one million doses.
