Egypt reported 722 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, bringing the total infection tally officially to 299,710 since the outbreak began in February 2020, said the Health Ministry in its daily coronavirus update statement.

The ministry also reported 31 new deaths, bringing the total number of deaths from the virus to 17,074.

The statement added that 569 patients have been discharged after recovering from the virus, bringing the total number of recoveries to 252,471.

Egypt has intensified its mass vaccination campaign and ordered more vaccine shipments to cope with the rise of infections and fatalities that has begun since early August by the pandemic's fourth wave.

The country has received 33,678 million coronavirus vaccine doses.

More than 13 million people have been vaccinated so far in Egypt since the beginning of the inoculation campaign earlier this year, as per the latest figures announced by Egyptian health officials last week,

Egypt Health Minister Hala Zayed said the peak of the fourth wave of the coronavirus will be felt in three or four weeks.

“It is possible to pass the fourth wave with the least number of infections if we intensify the vaccination campaign and inoculate half a million citizens daily,” Zayed said at the press conference on Thursday.