The Health Ministry reported 2,003 new covid-19 infections yesterday, down fractionally from 2,009 the day before. Egypt has now disclosed a total of 471,460 confirmed cases of covid-19. The ministry also reported 54 new deaths, bringing the country’s total death toll to 23,806.

Our third pandemic Ramadan will look a lot like last year – with one small difference: Women’s prayer areas will be re-opened for the first time since the start of the pandemic, according to a Ministry of Religious Endowments statement. Mass prayers will be permitted in all mosques across the country during the holy month. All measures governing mass prayers announced last year — including limiting evening Taraweeh prayers to half an hour, wearing face masks, and maintaining social distancing when inside the mosques — will remain in effect this year.

Good news for the fully vaccinated: Your jabs could last you for years. Three doses of a covid-19 vaccine should be enough to protect against severe illness or death after contracting any covid-19 variant for years, a raft of recent studies cited by the New York Times suggest. While three doses provide more protection against highly contagious variants like Omicron, even just two doses could be enough considering the variety of antibodies that vaccines produce, including specialized immune cells like T cells and B cells, both of which are powerful at combating both old and new strains.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to lift all covid-19 restrictions within days, as part of the country’s plan to “live with COVID,” which would make the UK the first country in Europe to scrap five-day isolation requirements for infected individuals, Reuters reports. But the timing of the announcement — just days after the Queen herself contracted covid-19 — drew backlash from critics, who said Johnson was calling off the cavalry before the battle was won.