Men wearing protective face masks walk in downtown Cairo, amidst concerns about the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Egypt, May 2, 2020. REUTERS
Egypt reported on Monday 346 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of infections to 9746, the health ministry said in a statement.
The ministry also reported 8 fatalities, bringing the total number of deaths from COVIED-19 to 533 .
The health ministry added that 97 patients have fully recovered and were discharged from isolation hospitals and quarantine facilities. The total number of recoveries from the highly contagious virus now stands at 2172.
The number of patients who retested negative, including complete recoveries, has now reached 2655, ministry spokesman Khaled Megahed said.
Megahed added that all the positive cases are currently being treated in isolation hospitals and in quarantine facilities.
Egypt first hit its 1,000 benchmark on 4 April, with the infection tally continuing to rise despite extending the night-time nationwide curfew for three times since March to curtail the spread of the pandemic.
Hala Zayed, Health minister, held on Monday a virtual meeting with the medical staffers of quarantine hospitals to follow up on the availability of all needs and to ensure the implementation of the updated treatment protocols and infection control standards.
According to the statement, the minister ensured during the meeting the availability of strategic necessities for personal medical staff, such as single-use protective suits, gloves, and face masks.
She also followed up on the automated system in isolation hospitals that links hospitals with central laboratories, ambulance organization, and hostels
The minister also followed up on the strategy of transferring clinically-mild coronaviorus cases and other cases that responded to treatment protocols and exhibited no symptoms but whose PCR tests are still positive from isolation hospitals to some hotels and hostels, to complete their medical follow-up until their analyses turn negative.
To free beds at the 17 operational isolation hospitals nationwide for the increasing number of Covid-19 patients, on 23 April the Health Ministry decided to transfer mild coronavirus cases from quarantine hospitals to university hostels.
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