The Supreme Committee for the Management of the Coronavirus Crisis, under Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, agreed Sunday to increase the capacity of hotels, cinemas, and restaurants to 70% instead of 50 percent. The committee took the decision upon a report prepared by Health Minister Hala Zayed on the latest developments regarding the epidemiological situation, weekly infection changes, occupancy rates for isolation hospital beds, and the global situation. Egypt has launched the production process of 1 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine, Zayed said. Comparative tests are currently being carried out, ahead of expanding production, she added. Zayed also touched on the current position of contracting and supplying AstraZeneca, Sinopharm, Sinovac and Sputnik vaccines. Up to 26 university hospitals are currently providing healthcare, treatment, and isolation services in 18 universities, with a capacity of 1,637 beds, 700 intensive care rooms, and 526 respirators, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Khaled Abdel Ghaffar told the committee. A plan was developed to increase university hospitals that provide sanitary and therapeutic isolation services, when needed, to 36 hospitals, in 19 universities, with a capacity of 6,397 beds, 712 intensive care rooms, and 902 respirators, the minister revealed. The country has currently been witnessing a decline in the number of COVID-19 cases officially registered in the past four weeks. Egypt has officially recorded 281,903 cases of coronavirus since the outbreak in February 2020 including 16,242 fatalities and 213,628 recoveries.
