'I spend time on Facebook because I have contracted coronavirus,' says deputy head of El-Negelah quarantine hospital
Ahmed Morsy, Wednesday 22 Apr 2020


Dr Mohamed Allam, deputy head of El-Negelah quarantine hospital in Egypt, said on his Facebook account on Wednesday that he had tested positive for coronavirus on 6 April, in response to criticism that he was on spending "too much time" online sharing posts to spread awareness about the virus.



"Unfortunately, this is a topic I had not intended on speak about at this time in order not to spread panic and anxiety among the people I constantly reassure. But given that there are people who have wronged me, my clarification became a must," wrote the 31-year-old married doctor.



"Many people have been criticising me lately for spending a lot of time on [social media]… asking 'what about your work?' and 'why do you waste your time?'," Allam said. "That is because I was diagnosed positive for coronavirus on 6 April."



“This is the truth that I had hidden by my own choice, and I did this to spare my family from worrying about me,” Allam said.



"My condition has improved a lot, and, God willing, I will test negative soon."



El-Negelah quarantine hospital, located in Marsa Matrouh governorate, was the first hospital to be designated by the government as a coronavirus treatment facility in early February.



Health Minister Hala Zayed said in a TV statement that Marsa Matrouh was chosen because “it is one the less polluted governorates in the country, which is important because the coronavirus is more active in polluted areas."



There are now 30 quarantine hospitals that have been prepared nationwide to treat the virus, according to the health ministry.



On Wednesday, the health ministry said that the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Egypt has reached 3,659 infections and the number of deathshas become 276.



https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/367843.aspx