Egypt’s Ministry of Health denied, on Tuesday, that clinical trials on patients with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) have been conducted without their prior permission.
Dr Jihan Al-Assal, Deputy Chairperson of the Scientific Committee to Combat Coronavirus, said that some drugs included within Egypt’s treatment protocol for the coronavirus are based on a set of rules and regulations. These include a clear legal mechanism, in accordance with international standards.
She added that Egypt has conducted clinical trials for several potential drugs and vaccines to treat the coronavirus to ensure their effectiveness, but the trials were conducted with patients’ informed consent.
On Tuesday, the Ministry of Health reported 465 new coronavirus cases, and 39 new deaths. The country’s total number of confirmed cases reached 92,947 cases, with 4,691 fatalities. A total of 35,959 cases have recovered and been discharged from quarantine facilities at hospitals.
Meanwhile, Dr Mohamed Awad Tag El-Din, Adviser to Egypt’s President for Health and Preventive Affairs, said Egypt is close to containing the coronavirus pandemic, having witnessed a notable decline in the daily infection rate.
Tag El-Din stressed the need to keep social distancing and other protective measures in place, to fully control the situation and prevent any future surge of infections with the virus.
In televised comments on Monday evening, he mentioned that the coronavirus could turn into a seasonal virus that stays with us for a long period. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that the virus did not behave like the influenza that tends to follow seasonal trends.
“People are still thinking about seasons. What we all need to get our heads around is this is a new virus, and it’s going to be one big wave,” WHO expert Margaret Harris expert said in a virtual briefing.
