Egypt’s health ministry has stepped up readiness at all hospitals nationwide ahead of the Sham El-Nessim celebrations on Monday.

The health ministry has advised against eating pickled mullet fish, known as fesikh, which is commonly associated with botulism poisoning.

It said that it has provided the botulism vaccine at all of its associated hospitals nationwide, urging citizens to head to medical facilities in the case of experiencing the ill effects of eating fesikh, which include double vision, dehydration, and others.

Egyptians usually celebrate Sham El-Nessim as one of the oldest annual occasions after Coptic Easter Sunday.

Celebrated since 2,700 BC by all Egyptians, regardless of religion, belief, and social status, the name Sham El-Nessim (Inhaling the breeze) is derived from Coptic language, which in turn is derived from the ancient Egyptian language.

Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, Egyptian families used to mark the Sham El-Nessim holiday with traditional seafood dishes and picnics in public parks.

However, public celebrations have been banned, with parks and beaches being shut down amid a surge in coronavirus cases.

Egypt is currently suffering from a spike in infections, with daily reported cases hovering above 1,000 in the past few days, the first steep rise of its kind since 9 January.