Egypt Reports 879 New Coronavirus Cases, 720 Recoveries

Egypt confirmed on Friday 879 new coronavirus infections, raising the total cases to 154,620 since the beginning of the virus outbreak.

"Fifty-two more deaths were confirmed; raising the total number to 8,473," Khaled Megahed, the Health Ministry’s spokesman, said in a statement.

"Up to 121,792 patients have recovered so far," the spokesman said.

"As many as 720 Egyptians were among the recovered patients today," he added.

Minister of Health and Population Hala Zayed said Egypt saw a surge in coronavirus infections, with the total number of new cases in the country topping 140,000 and the number of coronavirus-linked deaths exceeding 7,000 since the outset of the pandemic about 10 months and a half ago.

"Egypt’s worst-hit governorate is Cairo, followed by Alexandria, Giza, and Qaliubiya respectively," Zayed told a press conference, announcing the names of hospitals that have recently been selected for the treatment of coronavirus patients.

The minister called on citizens to maintain social distancing and take relevant precautionary measures, noting that all scientists have confirmed that the new coronavirus variant does not affect vaccines.

Zayed added that the age group most affected by the virus is people aged over 50, noting that there is a hike in the number of infections for the age group from 35 to 50 years old and from 15 to 35 years old.