Egypt’s Minister of Health Hala Zayed said Wednesday that four cases of coronavirus fully recovered and were discharged from hospitals after being treated with blood plasma.

In the weekly cabinet meeting, while giving a report on the Covid-19 situation in Egypt, Zayed revealed that 19 cases of coronavirus have been treated using plasma in accordance with the protocol prepared by the Scientific Committee to Counter Covid-19 and the National Blood Transfusion Centre.

Zayed added that in addition to the four cases treated, recovered and discharged, another case is isolating at home because of their improved condition.

Meanwhile, the minister said, 10 cases are being treated in hospitals currently with plasma. Seven are improving, according to scans and analysis.

Four patients died, including three cases that deteriorated before plasma treatment was used. The fourth case died five days after receiving plasma.

Zayed stated in the meeting that the number of plasma donors from fully recovered patients reached 45.

The minister earlier called on those who have recovered from coronavirus to head to the nearest ministry-affiliated blood transfusion centre to donate plasma to contribute to the treatment of critical coronavirus cases, stressing that they should do so only after 14 days have passed since the date of their recovery.

Blood transfusion centres open for blood donations include the National Centre for Blood Transfusion in Giza's El-Agouza district, in addition to a number of centres in the governorates of Alexandria, Minya, Luxor and Gharbiya, a statement by the ministry said.

Egypt has recorded so far 38,284 Covid-19 patients including 10,289 fully recovered patients and 1,342 fatalities since the outbreak of the virus.

The Egyptian Ministry of Health had previously stated that it was using plasma in treating Covid-19 patients in critical condition as part of its treatment protocol.

The ministry first introduced plasma therapy trials in Egypt on 30 April.