Three Egyptian doctors have so far been recorded dead from the coronavirus and 43 others infected, the Egyptian Medical Syndicate said on Saturday, adding that it is still in the tallying process and that the numbers are "likely to increase."

Only one of the deceased doctors contracted the virus during work, the syndicate added.

The syndicate called on the Ministry of Health to announce the health status of doctors and medical staff, and renewed its call for the “regular disclosure of data on infected doctors in order to assist their families.”

The syndicate called on the competent authorities to ensure that preventive supplies are made available to all medical facilities, and urged doctors not to work unless they are wearing the necessary protection gear.

It also stressed the importance of the rapid testing of those who have been in contact with positive cases.

The medical syndicate asked the cabinet again to include the infected and deceased medical personnel in Law 16/2018 on “honouring the martyrs and the injured.”

In April there have been several reports of medics, workers and patients who have contracted the virus in prominent Egyptian health facilities.

On Thursday, Egypt’s non-profit Magdi Yacoub Heart Foundation said four coronavirus cases were detected at its heart surgery centre in Aswan, including one patient and three security staff members.

Egypt’s Heart Institute announced on Wednesday the shutdown of the institute’s admission department after a nurse tested positive for COVID-19.

Last Saturday, at least 17 doctors and nurses at Egypt’s National Cancer Institute (NCI) tested positive for the coronavirus, according to Cairo University, which manages the country’s main cancer hospital.

A nurse at Al-Khanka hospital for mental health in Qalioubiya governorate and six medical workers in Upper Egypt’s Aswan governorate also tested positive for the virus.

Friday saw the highest daily death toll in Egypt with 17 new reported fatalities, bringing the total number of deaths to 135, while the number of positive cases has reached 1,794.

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