Daily cases are inching up again
The Health Ministry reported 573 new covid-19 infections yesterday, up 567 the day before. The ministry also reported 52 new deaths, bringing the country’s total death toll to 9,751. Egypt has now disclosed a total of 170,780 confirmed cases of covid-19.
Cases have inched up over the past three days after hitting a recent low of 509 on 6 February, from a previous peak of 1,022 on 14 January.
Manufacturers are being nudged by the Egyptian Federation of Investors Associations to donate EGP 100 per worker to the Tahya Misr Fund to help finance the purchase of covid-19 vaccines, the local press reports. While member of the association’s board Sobhi Nasr says most have made contributions, the fund is still seeking further donations to cover the USD 6 per shot price tag of importing covid-19 vaccines.
The WHO has AstraZeneca’s back: The World Health Organization (WHO) expressed confidence in the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine at a presser yesterday, a day after South Africa suspended the rollout of the vaccine following a study that cast doubt on its effectiveness against its local variant. Although describing the news as “concerning,” WHO official Fadela Chaib suggested that the data was inconclusive about how effective it is at preventing severe illness.
South Africa could go ahead with the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine after all, and is considering a “stepped” approach where it initially inoculates 100k people and monitors hospitalization rates, a South African official said at the presser.