Coronavirus in Egypt killed more men than women, half of deaths over 65: CAPMAS
Amr Mohamed Kandil, Monday 14 Sep 2020
People between 15 and 45 years old make up 10.2 percent of coronavirus deaths, and people less than 15 years old 0.4 percent


Since Egypt reported its first coronavirus fatality in March, a 60-year-old German tourist who died in Red Sea’s Hurghada, 56.4 percent of the deaths nationwide were of men, Egypt’s official statistical agency said in a report on Monday, citing a study it had conducted until 18 August.

The number of males that died in Egypt since the pandemic has started reached 2,911 people compared to 2,254 female deaths, the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS) said.

The report, based on information provided by the health ministry, revealed that people aged 66 and above represented 48.9 percent of the total number of coronavirus deaths, followed by the 46-65 age group, which represented 41 percent of deaths.

People between 15 and 45 years old constituted only 10.2 percent of deaths, with people less than 15 years old making up the rest, 0.4 percent, according to the study.

Until 18 August Egypthas reported 97,753 coronavirus cases. The figure includes 172 foreigners, 19 of whom died, said the study, with Cairo having 51 of the confirmed cases, the highest number of confirmed cases among foreigners in Egyptian governorates. Cairo is followed by the Red Sea in eastern Egypt, and Aswan in Upper Egypt, reporting 32 and 30 cases, respectively. Cases of infected foreigners were also reported in North Sinai, in northeastern Egypt, and in the Delta governorates of Gharbiya and Menoufiya, in northern Egypt, as well as in Upper Egypt’s Sohag and Minya.

Deaths

The average daily number of people who died due to the novel virus in Egypt continued to rise from 2.4 in March to 11.4 in April and then 18 in May, reaching the highest level in June, recording an average 66.4 daily deaths. The number of coronavirus deaths in June reached 1,443.

In July, the average number of daily deaths started to decline to 60 and significantly declined in August to 21, given the study’s timeframe that ended on 18 August.

Upper Egypt's Assiut recorded the highest deaths compared to confirmed infected cases, making up 12.1 percent among Egypt’s 27 governorates, followed by Damietta in the north with 9.9 percent and Fayoum in Middle Egypt with 9.9 percent.

The least death rate compared to confirmed infected cases was in the Delta’s Qalioubiya governorate with 1.7 percent, followed by the Red Sea governorate, a popular tourist attraction, with 2.2 percent.

Infection rate

In the first weeks of the pandemic in Egypt, the growth rate of infection among Egyptians reached its highest, due to the absence of preventive measures, while the period between 13 and 18 August saw the lowest growth rate of infection.

Of the total 97,753 coronavirus cases reported until 18 August, 648 cases were reported by the end of March, 4,800 cases in April, 19,430 cases in May and 43,296 cases in June. In July, the number of cases dramatically dropped to 25,746 and continued to plummet in August.

The number of cases dropped on 18 August to 163 cases, down from 1,773 cases on 19 June, the country’s highest daily number of confirmed cases.

The total number of recoveries represented 63.6 percent, CAPMAS said, adding that the infection rate, given the total number of cases is 976 per million people. Egypt's population now stands at over 100 million.

In June, the infection rate was 434 people per million, up from 195 people per million in May, 48 per million in April and 6.5 per million in March.

Egypt’s global position

Concerning the number of coronavirus cases,Egypt ranks 26th worldwide, given the timeframe of the report, compared to 5.6 million cases in the US until 18 August.

Egypt also ranks 26th worldwide in terms of deaths, compared to around 174,000 deaths in the US, which ranks first.

Comparing the number of cases to population, Egypt ranks 199th worldwide with a 0.09 percentage, compared to 4.1 percent in Qatar.

In Africa, Egypt has about 8.7 percent of confirmed infected cases in the continent, the study said, making Egypt at the second place after South Africa with a wide gap of about 495,247 cases in total.

Egypt ranks second in African deaths, following South Africa, which recorded 12,264 deaths.

In the Arab world, Egypt ranks fourth in the number of infected cases, following Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and finally Qatar, which recorded the least count among the four countries. Egypt follows Iraq in the number of coronavirus deaths.

Since the pandemic hit the country in mid-February and until 13 September, Egypthas recorded atotal of 101,009 infections, including 5,648 deaths and 84,161 recoveries.

Egypt witnessed a slight increase in the daily tally of coronavirus cases in the past weeks, reversing a low of 89 on 22 August — the lowest daily infection toll since early April.

The government has repeatedly urged caution to avoid a second wave of the pandemic, particularly with the advent of autumn and the beginning of the new academic year.

https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/379999.aspx