Egypt Reassures Citizens on COVID-19

Egyptian officials discuss with WHO officials a plan to raise awareness. (Egyptian Ministry of Health)
Egyptian officials discuss with WHO officials a plan to raise awareness. (Egyptian Ministry of Health)
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Egypt Reassures Citizens on COVID-19

Egyptian officials discuss with WHO officials a plan to raise awareness. (Egyptian Ministry of Health)
Egyptian officials discuss with WHO officials a plan to raise awareness. (Egyptian Ministry of Health)

The Egyptian Health Ministry reassured the Egyptians on Sunday that all precautionary measures are being taken to counter the spread of the new Covid-19 variant amid international and regional concerns about the spread of the virus by the end of summer.

Hossam Abdel Ghaffar, the official spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Population, explained that all the currently circulating mutants belong to the mutated Omicron and do not cause severe disease.

The spokesperson announced that since April, cases of Covid-19 in Egypt began to decrease significantly, reaching the lowest rates compared to previous years, and that there have been no deaths since the last recorded case on 16 March, 2023 until now.

Abdel Ghaffar affirmed that the health ministry is closely following the epidemiological update of all respiratory viruses in the country and that it is taking all precautionary measures against the COVID-19 disease.

The health ministry uses a strong surveillance system that continuously examines the genetic sequence of COVID-19 samples in public health labs to detect and follow up on new variants, he said.

The ministry is also monitoring cases of acute respiratory diseases in outpatient clinics and hospitals.

Abdel Ghaffar indicated that since the World Health Organization declared the end of the health emergency for COVID-19 on 5 May 2023, the virus has become endemic in all countries of the world and is treated like other acute respiratory diseases.

He added that the current dominant mutant in the world is the Omicron mutant, which is rapidly spreading, but it is less severe and less dangerous than other mutants.

New subvariants of Omicron are being discovered but the cases are simple and not at all severe, the spokesman affirmed.

Jihan Al-Assal, Professor of Chest Diseases at Ain Shams University, told Asharq Al-Awsat that regardless of how many new variants of COVID-19 emerge, the epidemiological situation wouldn’t be more dangerous than the time when the pandemic broke out.

Al-Assal reassured that the coronavirus has become a seasonal disease such as influenza and confronting it is now easier. “All new variants are weaker than the original virus.”

Johns Hopkins University of Medicine revealed in a report in January that COVID-19 deaths reached an estimated 6,690,581 by January. The total number of patients amounted to 660,543,327.

The report added that the US recorded the highest number of cases, 100.7 million, while India came second, 44.6 million, and Brazil third, 36.3 million.



Sudan Lashes Out at Kenya's 'Hostile' Support for Rival Govt

Sudanese attend a protest in support of the army in the eastern city of Gedaref on February 22, 2025. (AFP)
Sudanese attend a protest in support of the army in the eastern city of Gedaref on February 22, 2025. (AFP)
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Sudan Lashes Out at Kenya's 'Hostile' Support for Rival Govt

Sudanese attend a protest in support of the army in the eastern city of Gedaref on February 22, 2025. (AFP)
Sudanese attend a protest in support of the army in the eastern city of Gedaref on February 22, 2025. (AFP)

Sudan's army-aligned administration lashed out Monday at what it called Kenya's "irresponsible and hostile" support for efforts by Khartoum's paramilitary rivals to form a parallel government.

Since April 2023, army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, once allies, have been locked in a power struggle that has dragged the country into war.

Late Saturday, the RSF and a coalition of political and armed groups signed in Nairobi a charter that would pave the way for a "peace and unity" government in rebel-held areas, with Kenya's foreign minister later saying the proposed administration would restore "democratic governance" in Sudan.

Sudan's foreign ministry condemned the "dangerous precedent" on Monday, saying that "in a grave threat to regional security and peace, the Kenyan leadership has adopted the parallel government that the genocidal militia and its followers intend to declare in some of the remaining pockets under their control".

The government, it added, would take "the necessary steps to respond to this irresponsible and hostile behavior".

Those steps appeared to be taking shape Monday, with foreign ministry undersecretary Hussein Al-Amin Al-Fadil telling a press conference in Port Sudan that "measures against Kenya are escalating, and there are arrangements for economic measures, including a ban on importing Kenyan products".

He also said Sudan was in the process of withdrawing its ambassador from Nairobi and would file a complaint against Kenya through regional and international channels.

Among the signatories of the charter was a faction of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu, which controls parts of the southern states of South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

The United Nations warned that the signing of the charter would "increase the fragmentation" of the war-torn country.

But in a post on X on Sunday, Kenyan Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi called the charter "a peace agreement", describing the proposed administration as a "a unity government" that would restore "peace, stability, and democratic governance in Sudan".

In its statement, Khartoum accused Nairobi of creating a "false facade for the militia to directly obtain weapons", while "relieving regional sponsors of some embarrassment".

The foreign ministry said that this "would expand the scope of war and prolong its duration" and warned of potential damage to bilateral ties with Kenya.

Fadil said Monday that Kenyan President William Ruto "has known personal interests with the militia leader and its sponsors, and is betting on losing cards".

Saturday's signing of the charter comes as the army and its allied factions are making advances against the RSF in the capital Khartoum and in central Sudan.

The war in Sudan, which has claimed tens of thousands of lives, erupted after a rift emerged between Burhan and Daglo over the future structure of the government.

The war has triggered the world's largest displacement and hunger crisis.

Both warring sides face accusations of committing grave atrocities against civilians, with their leaders sanctioned by the US.