Daily COVID-19 roundup: July 16

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Here are the latest figures on COVID-19 as of Wednesday, July 15:

Any [relief] initiative approaching an expiry should be extended as long as the pandemic persists,” -- Aly Issa, head of the Egyptian Businessmen’s Association 

Five months have passed since the first few COVID-19 cases began to appear in Egypt in February, and Egypt has managed to evade a negative growth rate.

However, a scarcity in work has cut income for many informal workers, while others have suffered wage cuts or layoffs.  With purchasing power down, demand has collapsed across vital sectors.

Despite the government’s package of relief measures, many businesses continue to struggle, and the Egyptian Businesspeople Association was lobbying the government to extend bailout measures until the pandemic is gone for good on Wednesday.

In a meeting with Planning Minister Dr. Hala al-Saeed, head of the Egyptian Businessmen’s Association Aly Issa asked Saeed to consider extending for six months the existing relief measures — particularly the low-interest loan initiatives being backed by the central bank and the no-fee postponement of property tax payments. The privately-owned Masrawy news website reports that Issa cited the persistent economic uncertainty faced by businesses in the wake of the pandemic, and the fact that many companies have only recently started working again, so have been unable to accumulate revenue to start making repayments. Egypt began to open up its economy after limited lockdown measures on July 1. 

Al-Saeed said she would put Issa’s suggestions forward for consideration the next time that Cabinet’s economic group meets, reports the privately-owned Al-Mal.

After a few good days, the Egyptian Stock Exchange had another bad one on Wednesday. By the close of trading on Wednesday, the EGX30 had fallen by 2.36 percent, while the EGX100 saw a dip of 3.73 percent. The privately-owned Al-Mal suggests that the losses came on the heels of a selloff by Egyptian and foreign investors due to concerns of Egypt’s undertaking a military intervention in Libya. Yet, the privately-owned Cairo24 cites major losses in the real estate and the non-banking financial sectors’ stocks as the main driver, with Mubasher noting some major share withdrawals. 

A foreign investor flight of the kind seen by many informal markets at the outset of the pandemic dried up dollar liquidity in Egypt in March and April and took a major toll on Egypt’s foreign currency reserves, and even put downward pressure on the exchange rate.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi announced that the central bank would channel LE20 million into the EGX in late March, which gave a boost to Egypt’s trading indexes for some time.

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What were officials saying about COVID-19 on Wednesday?

“We want to commit to the measures, and for this to become a daily coexistence with the coronavirus. We have to adhere to distancing, wearing masks and frequent hand washing. These are the methods available at the moment for protection from infections. We are currently recording low infection figures and we hope for these figures to continue to fall,” Ashraf Okba, Immunologist at Ain Shams medical school, speaking to Extra News

Okba also noted that many countries that have eased restrictions are now reconsidering their decisions, given a spike in new coronavirus cases. However, he claimed that the measures taken by Egypt’s government have already succeeded in reversing the direction of new COVID-19 cases. He stressed that for the downward trend to continue, people must adhere to the protection methods announced by the Health Ministry.

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Hospitals capacity and patient care 

Expecting a wave of up to four million holidaymakers to hit the North Coast over summer, Health Minister, Hala Zayed presented the government’s plan for securing the area from the spread of the coronavirus, reports Cairo24. Twenty-five movable clinics will be distributed along the North Coast providing medicines and sanitizers. In addition, there will be medical teams available for emergencies, reports Al-Mal. Several nearby hospitals have also been prepared to receive any COVID-19 cases including Alamain Hospital, where more than 80 beds are available, reports Masrawy.

The Cabinet has approved a loan agreement with the World Bank’s International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, which will see Egypt receive $50 million to fund its response to COVID-19, Al-Shorouk reports. The deal was signed on July 5.  

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Coexistence with COVID-19

 Gyms reopened on Wednesday for the first time since Egypt began a limited lockdown in mid-March to curb the spread of the coronavirus. A 25% cap on capacity will be in place, hand sanitizers must be available, and masks must be worn.

Gyms had begun to prepare to reopen on July 1, undergoing sterilization.  

The turnout remains much lower than how it was before the COVID-19 outbreak, a gym founder and trainer told Cairo24 in a special report. The trainer said he thought the low turnout is caused by a drop in household income, rather than fear of contracting the virus.

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Who cares for healthcare workers? 

According to Dr. Ibrahim al-Zayat, an elected member of the Doctors Syndicate’s board, the number of deaths due to COVID-19 among doctors reached 135 on Wednesday, with more than 3,000 doctors testing positive for the disease since the outbreak of the pandemic in March, reports the privately-owned Youm7.

Among the deaths recorded among doctors on Wednesday were:

• Dr. Bahaa Eddin Ahmed Ali, an ophthalmologist consultant at Luxor General Hospital 
• Dr. Ahmed Abdel Rahman, an orthopedic consultant at Beni Suef General Hospital
• Dr. Abdullah Muhammad Muhammad Ismail, an internal medicine specialist in the Al-Ahrar Hospital in Beheira
• Dr. Muhammad Rajab Sarhan, an infectious diseases consultant at Hosh Issa Central Hospital

Several infections among healthcare workers were also recorded, including: 

• Two nurses and one doctor who tested positive in Sohag.
• Nine medical staff in Beheira tested positive in total, including six doctors, two medical technicians and a paramedic.
• Two top-ranking officials in the health administration in Daqahlia have contracted the coronavirus, according to Al-Masry Al-Youm. The officials, also medical professionals, are Dr. Abeer Abdel Ghani, the Deputy Director of Preventive Medicine, and Dr. Heba El Sharif, Director of Hospital Administration in the Directorate.

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Working with COVID-19  

Goalkeeper for the Armed Forces-owned Border Guards football club, Khaled Samy, has tested positive for COVID-19 according to Cairo24.

The government instructed all football clubs to test players and staff regularly ahead of the resumption of the premier league on August 7.

Three other players in Masr FC tested positive and will self-isolate at home. Al-Ahly SC players and staff have also received a fourth round of PCR tests, though results are yet to be released, Cairo24 reports. All players and staff in Port Said’s Al-Masry club tested negative in their fourth round of tests as did Zamalek SC players in their third round of tests.