Egypt detected 223 new coronavirus cases on Friday, giving a total infection tally of 98,285 since the outbreak began in February, the health ministry announced.

The ministry also reported 20 new deaths, bringing the total deaths from the virus to 5,362.

The statement said that 807 patients were discharged from hospitals on Friday, bringing the total number of recoveries to 70,419.

Egypt has witnessed a slight increase in the daily tally of coronavirus cases since Monday, reversing a low of 89 infections on Saturday, the lowest daily infection toll since early April.

The surge comes as the the government repeatedly urged caution to avoid a second wave of the pandemic, particularly with the advent of autumn.

Egypt fears a possible resurgence of infections due to the holidays, the latest being Eid Al-Adha earlier this month, reversing the downward trend in new infections and deaths in recent weeks, which came despite the lifting of lockdown measures at the end of June.

The government said in July that it may resort to re-adopting the strict preventative measures it had imposed earlier to fight the coronavirus, including closing down activities and re-imposing a nighttime curfew, if the infection rate rises again.