The rise of daily coronavirus (Covid-19) infections in Egypt indicates the country's progress in terms of the virus detection, Mohamed Tag El-deen, presidential advisor for health affairs, has said. In televised remarks to Al-Kahera Al-Aan TV show, Tag El-Deen said the numbers of Covid-19 announced daily do not represent one day but they are actually of several days. “80% of coronavirus cases showed no symptoms,” he noted. Tag El-deen urged citizens to commit to social distancing instructions and follow good personal hygiene habits even after the pandemic. He added that the country has not yet reached the coronavirus peak, and the government will announce that when it happens. The Health Ministry reported 260 new coronavirus cases and 22 new deaths on Tuesday, as the highest daily toll in the country since the beginning of the pandemic. Total confirmed Covid-19 cases hit 5,042 locally, with the death toll reaching 359. Up to 1,304 cases have recovered and been discharged from quarantines. In the same context, an Egyptian doctor announced on Tuesday that it tested positive for coronavirus. Manar Sami, a chest physician at Al-Ahrar Teaching Hospital in Zagazig, was transferred to the quarantine hospital in Menofia governorate. Health Ministry spokesperson Khaled Megahed said on Monday that 12% of coronavirus infections among medical workers contracted the virus inside hospitals, while 88% of infections were through community transmission. Megahed added in televised statements that the ministry is conducting regular tests for medical workers nationwide, noting that the infection rate among healthcare workers in Egypt was not as high as other countries. The Health Ministry revealed earlier that it conducted 90,000 PCR tests, and 200,000 rapid tests nationwide. Meanwhile, Head of the Egyptian Nursing Syndicate Kawthar Mahmoud revealed that about 50 nurses were infected by the coronavirus. She pointed out in televised remarks that 3,000 nurses are working at quarantine, fever, and chest hospitals across the country. She added that Egypt had 300,000 nurses, of whom 220,000 in the public health sector. Five doctors, out of more than 43 infections, have died of coronavirus in Egypt so far. Over the last few days, two workers died from coronavirus in Matrouh's El Negelah quarantine hospital; nurse Al-Sayed Al-Mohsenawi and storekeeper Naji Al-Jarari. Earlier this month, the World Health Organization (WHO) representative in Egypt, John Jabbour, said that 13% of the country's coronavirus infections were among healthcare workers.
