Egypt’s daily infections due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) continue to decrease for the third week in a row, as the Ministry of Health recorded 157 new cases on Monday.
The latest figures provided by the ministry means the country’s total number of cases has now risen to 94,640.
The number of recoveries has also increased as 44,066 cases have been discharged from quarantine facilities at hospitals.
According to the Ministry of Health figures, the daily number of fatalities due to the virus has also continued to decrease, in line with the general decrease in new confirmed cases. It reported 23 new fatalities on Monday, bringing the total number of deaths to 4,888.
Egypt is expected to record zero infections of COVID-19 by mid-September, said Dr Hossam Hosni, head of the Ministry of Health’s Scientific Committee to Combat Coronavirus.
He stressed that the virus will not disappear, but the infection rates will decline owing to the level of awareness among Egyptians and the efficiency of the country’s healthcare professionals.
The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research has announced that Egyptian researchers have started developing a vaccine for the virus, with experiments on four potential vaccines already underway.
The ministry’s statement noted that two of the vaccines have reached the third phase of clinical trials, and it is expected that at least one will be ready for general use in early 2021. Egypt is also working on securing a share in any world potential vaccines for the virus.
Meanwhile, Advisor to the President for Health and Preventive Affairs, Dr Mohamed Awad Tag El-Din, said that Egypt is on the verge of containing the coronavirus. This comes as the country has witnessed a notable decline in the infection rate over the past three weeks.
Tag El-Din stressed the need for keeping social distancing and protective measures in place to fully control the situation and prevent any future surge of the virus.
