Daily COVID-19 roundup: July 15

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Here are the latest figures on COVID-19 as of Tuesday, July 14:

What were officials saying about COVID-19 on Tuesday?

“The frequency [of cases] at Abbasiya Fever Hospital actually decreased over two weeks ago in comparison with May and June, but actually in my own work I’ve noticed that the frequency has increased somewhat at clinics, private hospitals and radiology centers, and they’ve refused to go to government hospitals” — A doctor at the Abassiya Fever Hospital who asked to remain anonymous, in comments to Masrawy

“The number of infections has remained low in Egypt for 10 days. It shows that the health system and the government and the state are on the right track, but there’s something important [to keep in mind]: extreme caution and care” — Dr. Sherif Wadie, advisor to the health minister for curative care, speaking to Al-Qana Al-Uwla

Noting a 10-day streak of infections below 1,000 in the daily coronavirus case numbers recorded by the Health Ministry, news outlets on Tuesday look into the numbers.

Masrawy’s investigation is among the most thorough of these, noting multiple factors that could be artificially making the numbers lower. Masrawy notes that in order to appear on the Health Ministry’s daily count, a PCR test must be run and come out positive. A new Health Ministry protocol introduced in June pushed for X-rays and blood tests to be used to establish probable diagnoses of coronavirus, which would not show up on the Health Ministry's daily count. We could add to this that Health Minister Hala Zayed also noted earlier this week that fewer second round PCR tests are being carried out, raising the chances that false negatives are being recorded.

Masrawy also points to the fact that there’s been a major push for people with milder symptoms to quarantine at home and avoid coming into hospitals.

One of the doctors who spoke to Masrawy also noted that while the pressure on emergency departments has declined as far as he can see, there’s also a general reluctance to come into government hospitals, with people seeking care elsewhere. 

While the health minister’s advisor Dr. Sherif Wadie said the drop in numbers is something to be happy about, he likewise pointed to the decline in figures as a success for the health and governance system, rather than necessarily a sign that Egypt is past the peak of its infections. Wadie went on to state official figures about occupancy at isolation hospitals, which he said had fallen from 90 percent to 60 percent, while he said ICU occupancy has gone down from 85 percent to 60 percent. Wadie added that, as of July 14, there were 200 COVID-19 patients in intensive care and 111 patients on ventilators.

Hospitals and patient care 

To discuss cooperation on clinical trials and research for a COVID-19 vaccine, Higher Education Minister Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar met with the Chinese ambassador to Egypt on Monday. Another meeting is to take place with the deputy ambassador to determine which university hospitals in Egypt will participate in the joint research projects with Chinese research centers.

Prime Minister Mustafa Madbuly paid a visit on Tuesday to the Aswan Specialist Hospital, which was transformed into an isolation hospital for COVID-19 cases. Madbuly commended doctors working at the hospital and told them that their actions “will be recorded in history.” Madbuly also said that every doctor who works diligently deserves recognition and respect.

After a man is reported to have died while waiting to see a doctor, a citizen in Assiut has shared a video on social media showing what he claims is negligence on the part of the Quseya Central Hospital, which serves as an isolation hospital for COVID-19 patients. The hospital’s manager Dr. Ihab Hakam has responded, saying that the citizen’s claims are not true. “How could he claim there are not doctors around when you can see the doctors in his video?” Hakam asked. As for the man who died, Hakam stated that he was dead on arrival at the hospital.

Coexistence with COVID-19

Calling on the government to increase the number of customers tourist companies are allowed to take, and complaining about limits put in place to prevent COVID-19 infections, Hisham Wahba, who sits on the managerial board at the Chamber of Tourism Establishments, issued a statement on Tuesday. He also asked for the early closing hours to be extended.

Wahba said that the 25 percent cap on capacity means that restaurants and cafes have incurred huge losses. He said this was unfair, given that the tourism sector has been tasked with retaining its employees, which means paying full wages to staff, while the companies are still a long way from making sufficient revenues to do so.

Government support for the sector has already seen all tourist establishments excused for payments on gas, water, electricity bills, and on other dues and expenses including real estate taxes until October 2020. A LE50 billion financing scheme backed by the Central Bank has also offered tourism companies soft loans on the condition they retain their staff.

EgyptAir resumed flights to Khartoum and Istanbul on Tuesday.

The mayor of Mahalla has tested positive for COVID-19 and is isolating at home. Authorities disinfected the mayor’s office and gave all employees who came into contact with him two weeks’ leave.

One student and one proctor were reportedly transferred to a hospital in Sharqiya on suspicion of having coronavirus during thanaweya amma exams on Tuesday.

Who cares for healthcare workers?

An official in the National Health Insurance Authority in Minya died from COVID-19. The 42-year-old man was receiving treatment in Matay Central Hospital.

Doctors Syndicate Council member Dr. Ibrahim al-Zayat has stated that the total number of doctors who have died from COVID-19 has now reached 133. The deaths of two doctors were announced on Tuesday:

Dr. Abdallah Mihamed, an internist at Ahrar Hospital

Dr. Hani Naim Sidrak, a surgeon at Sohag General Hospital