Egypt’s Doctors Syndicate has demanded the health ministry provide it with information on all doctors who have contracted the coronavirus during their work.

“Due to the infection of several doctors while doing their job combating the coronavirus, the syndicate requests the regular disclosure of data on infected doctors and their health status, in order to communicate with their families and provide the necessary syndicate assistance,” reads a letter from the medical body to the ministry.

The health ministry has not released any information on whether doctors or other medical staff have been infected due to work with coronavirus-positive patients.

The ministry did announce the death of Ahmed El-Lawah from the virus, a laboratory physician at Al-Azhar University, but he was not among those on the front line, nor did he work at an isolation hospital.

According to a tracking investigation carried out by a local health department in Port Said, the doctor was in direct contact with someone who had tested positive, and he was self-isolating at his home before he was taken to hospital.

The number of coronavirus cases in Egypt increased to 850 on Thursday, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said in a televised statement.

There have been 52 fatalities.

The first positive case in the country was announced in February.

Madbouly said that Egypt has not reached the “dangerous third phase” of the virus’ spread yet, and called for more vigilance in following precautionary measures.

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