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Monday, 19 April 2021

Ramadan + covid go hand in hand

Expect daily covid-19 infections to continue rising in Egypt through the end of Ramadan, as the third wave has yet to hit its peak, House Health Committee head and former health minister Ashraf Hatem said, according to El Watan. University hospitals are facing an influx of covid-19 patients but aren’t facing any shortages in meds or equipment, Hatem said. Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly and President Abdel Fattah El Sisi each issued warnings last month that Ramadan would likely see a jump in covid-19 cases.

Our vaccination program could get a leg up with additional funding and resources after the president ordered his government yesterday to provide the funding needed to ramp up imports and begin locally manufacturing covid-19 jabs, according to an Ittihadiya statement. Procedures are currently “underway” to begin manufacturing China’s Sinovac vaccine in Egypt through state-owned Vacsera, along with Pharco’s BioGeneric Pharma and Eva Pharma, Health Minister Hala Zayed said at the end of last week.

Religious services will be suspended for three weeks at churches in Beni Suef and Bahnasa, including during the upcoming Holy Week (which includes Easter Sunday) due to concerns over covid-19, the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Beni Suef said in a statement. The suspension of services, which came into effect last Saturday, bans limited masses held by priests and deacons.

The Health Ministry reported 850 new covid-19 infections yesterday, up from 845 the day before. Egypt has now disclosed a total of 216,334 confirmed cases of covid-19. The ministry also reported 44 new deaths, bringing the country’s total death toll to 12,738.

AstraZeneca plans to have a modified version of its vaccine against the South Africa covid-19 variant by the end of 2021, according to Reuters.

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