It was International Cooperation Minister Rania Al Mashat’s turn to headline the talk shows last. She dropped in to Lamees El Hadidi’s Kelma Akhira (watch: runtime: 1:27) and Sherif Amer’s Yahduth Fi Misr (watch, runtime: 5:17) to discuss the World Bank’s latest Egyptian Economic Monitor report, published yesterday to coincide with the visit of a WB delegation. Al Mashat said that the government intends to move forward with reforms related to productivity and employment outlined in the report. We have full coverage of the report in this morning’s Speed Round, below.

Education Minister Tarek Shawki refused to rule out the closure of schools in the event of a second wave, telling Ala Mas’ouleety’s Ahmed Moussa that it is not his decision to make. Either way, the academic year will not be interrupted and teaching will continue online should schools need to close. (watch, runtime: 15:26).

But there are no plans to fine covidiots: Shawki denied rumors circulating that parents and students caught not wearing face masks in schools will be fined by authorities. Students found without a mask will receive a warning, he said, noting that pupils under 12 years’ old are not expected to wear masks but should wear face shields instead.

There was plenty of coverage on covid treatment:

The Health Ministry is bullish on its treatment strategy: Moussa phoned Hossam Hosni, the head of the Health Ministry’s covid-19 committee, who said that as many as 98% of people given medication included in the ministry’s “fourth protocol” could recover from the virus. The country has enough supplies to last another six months, and the ministry is prepared for the worst case scenario, he said (watch, runtime: 24:19).

Where do we stand in the global race for a vaccine? Higher Education Minister Khaled Abd El Ghaffar was on Kelma Akhira to give an update on where we stand with vaccines around the world. Only 7% of the fifty-two vaccines now in clinical trials are expected to be successful, he said, noting that the Health Ministry is in contact with all manufacturers regarding obtaining a successful vaccine (watch, runtime: 9:48).

Eli Lilly’s new antibody treatment is pricey: Mohammad Ismail, a member of the medical team of the US Embassy, was also on with Lamees to explain Eli Lilly’s new antibody treatment, which was this week granted regulatory approval in the US. One dose is likely to cost in the region of USD 1,200-1,500, he said, adding that the company could provide about 50 mn doses by March 2021 if it is proven effective in more than 50% during the trials and is able to start mass production (watch, runtime: 2:18 | 0:41).