Egypt’s Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly affirmed the necessity for adhering to the precautionary measures against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), warning that the second wave of the pandemic is harder than the previous one and has already hit many countries.
During the cabinet’s meeting on Wednesday, Madbouly directed to tighten penalties on places that violate the precautionary measures, and to apply the penalties prescribed in the law in this regard.
Moreover, he allowed the ministries to take the appropriate measures according to the conditions and nature of their work to reduce the number of employees in workplaces, and to give priority in remote working to employees with chronic diseases.
Meanwhile, Minister of Health Hala Zayed showcased, during the meeting, the epidemic position in the country and worldwide.
She mentioned that the occupancy rate of hospitals reached 20%, while the occupancy rate in intensive care sections reached 47%, and the occupancy of respirators reached 20%. She explained further that the death rate of the virus among males is higher than females, which is in line with global rates.
The Health Minister highlighted that there is a relation between seasonal changes in weather and the number of virus infections, noting that low temperatures do not necessarily increase the infection rate, but rather lead to the gathering of large number of people in closed places, which results in a significant increase in cases.
She stresses that adherence to the precautionary measures is the only way to reduce the spread of the virus.
Zayed pointed to results of an international research which indicated that COVID-19 could lead to long-term diseases. The study also proved that 35% of those who recovered from the virus did not return to their normal conditions.
