The number of Egypt’s new coronavirus cases suggests transmission is limited to chains of infections, with no steep rise in case numbers, said Yvan Hutin, Director for Communicable Diseases in the World Health Organization’s Regional Office in Egypt.
According to the latest figures announced by Minister of Health Hala Zayed on Sunday evening, the number of infections in Egypt has reached 609 cases and 40 deaths. A total of 132 cases have recovered and have been discharged from hospitals, the Health Ministry announced.
In a virtual press conference on Monday, Hutin praised Egypt’s efforts in responding to the global coronavirus pandemic. He added that there are a number of strong points in the response for which WHO congratulated Egypt’s Health Ministry.
Hutin noted that overall management is well organised, including an Emergency Operation Centre coordinating the response on the basis of the latest epidemiological information. There is also a call centre in constant touch with the public.
“Second, rapid response teams are conducting careful investigations of cases and their contacts. And this is very important because it breaks the chains of transmission. Third, there is a capacity to test patients in a reliable way in more than 20 sites in the country. Fourth, there is a plan to provide care to patients,” Hutin said.
Hutin has also praised the media’s performance and the awareness campaigns made by the Ministry of Health. He said that “a lot of different medias are used to provide the public with updates, education and information”.
The coronavirus has continued its accelerated spread worldwide, with the number of infections rising to 737,929, of whom 156,507 have recovered. A total of 35,019 people have died as a result of infection, at the time of writing.
