Minister of Health and Population Hala Zayed announced, on Wednesday, increasing the number of isolation hospitals in Sohag to 17, following reports of a surge in the amount of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) infections in the Upper Egypt governorate.
Zayed held a virtual meeting with officials of the health directorate in Sohag to follow up on the ministry’s plan to confront the pandemic and to check on the availability of required medical equipment and drugs in the governorate, according to a statement by the ministry.
During this week, several social media users warned from a surge in COVID-19 infections in Sohag. The Egyptian Medical Syndicate’s branch in Sohag has called on authorities to impose a curfew to limit gatherings. Several members of parliament have also called upon the government to intervene to curb the virus spread and improve hospitalisation.
However, the Health Minister affirmed that the second wave of the pandemic in Sohag was less severe than the first one, as the rate of infections per week during the first wave reached 600, while it stood at 200 infections per week in the second wave.
The minister added that 482 hospital beds, 166 intensive care beds, and 58 ventilators have been secured for COVID-19 patients in Sohag.
According to the statement, the occupancy rates at isolation hospitals reached about 32% for internal beds, 48% for intensive care beds, and 39% for ventilators.
Zayed directed the increase of oxygen cylinders at hospitals that host a large number of COVID-19 cases in critical condition.
The number of COVID-19 cases in the governorate since the beginning of the pandemic has reached about 7,000 out of a total population of more than 5 million people in Sohag.
