Egypt Scales Up Readiness of COVID-19 Isolation Hospitals

Men in protective masks wait for the train at a metro station in Cairo. (File photo: Reuters)
Men in protective masks wait for the train at a metro station in Cairo. (File photo: Reuters)
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Egypt Scales Up Readiness of COVID-19 Isolation Hospitals

Men in protective masks wait for the train at a metro station in Cairo. (File photo: Reuters)
Men in protective masks wait for the train at a metro station in Cairo. (File photo: Reuters)

Egypt has ramped up efforts to increase the preparedness of the coronavirus isolation hospitals as the country witnesses an exponential upwards curve in COVID-19 infections, announced Minister of Health and Population Hala Zayed.

The Minister indicated that private sector hospitals are the Health Ministry’s primary partner in providing medical services to those infected, stressing the importance of uniting all state efforts with the private sector to confront the virus.

She also thanked the health workers for their efforts in serving patients during the pandemic, urging them to provide health care to all coronavirus patients.

The Ministry of Health earlier stated that 98 persons had recovered while 392 new cases were recorded. It also reported 16 deaths over the past 24 hours.

Egypt has officially registered 116,303 virus cases, including 6,666 fatalities and 102,816 recoveries since the start of the pandemic, according to the ministry.

Cairo, Giza, and Alexandria governorates recorded the highest infection rates.

During a meeting with the Chairman of the Health Care Providers Chamber Dr. Alaa Abdel Majeed Masoud, the Health Minister emphasized that the medical sector has been the first line of defense since the beginning of the pandemic.

She indicated that 436 hospitals have been equipped to receive patients, including 22 isolation hospitals.

The meeting discussed the mechanism of work of private hospitals during the pandemic and the updated treatment protocols per the standards of the World Health Organization.

The spokesman of the Egyptian Health Ministry, Khalid Mujahid, said that the meeting also evaluated the medical services provided to coronavirus patients in private hospitals.

He pointed out that the ministry is meeting the needs of these hospitals, noting that all necessary medicines and preventive equipment are being supplied to best serve the country's patients.

Meanwhile, the government held a meeting, chaired by PM Mostafa Madbouly, and announced that it will be taking the necessary steps to provide coronavirus vaccines, including contracting with the Vaccine Alliance Gavi for around 20 million doses.

The cabinet also instructed all medical groups to contract other companies to secure a greater number of vaccines.



UN Envoy: Conditions 'Not Yet in Place' for Safe Return of Lebanese Citizens to South

Ambulances and Lebanese army members stand as UNIFIL and Israeli vehicles are seen in the background, in Burj al-Muluk, near the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, where Israeli forces remained on the ground after a deadline for their withdrawal passed as residents sought to return to homes in the border area, Lebanon January 26, 2025. REUTERS/Karamallah Daher
Ambulances and Lebanese army members stand as UNIFIL and Israeli vehicles are seen in the background, in Burj al-Muluk, near the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, where Israeli forces remained on the ground after a deadline for their withdrawal passed as residents sought to return to homes in the border area, Lebanon January 26, 2025. REUTERS/Karamallah Daher
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UN Envoy: Conditions 'Not Yet in Place' for Safe Return of Lebanese Citizens to South

Ambulances and Lebanese army members stand as UNIFIL and Israeli vehicles are seen in the background, in Burj al-Muluk, near the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, where Israeli forces remained on the ground after a deadline for their withdrawal passed as residents sought to return to homes in the border area, Lebanon January 26, 2025. REUTERS/Karamallah Daher
Ambulances and Lebanese army members stand as UNIFIL and Israeli vehicles are seen in the background, in Burj al-Muluk, near the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, where Israeli forces remained on the ground after a deadline for their withdrawal passed as residents sought to return to homes in the border area, Lebanon January 26, 2025. REUTERS/Karamallah Daher

Conditions are 'not yet in place' for the safe return of Lebanese citizens to southern Lebanon, according to a joint statement by the top UN official in Lebanon and the chief of the UN peacekeeping mission to Lebanon on Sunday.

They said that the timelines set under the US-brokered ceasefire that halted last year's war with Hezbollah were not met, urging recommitment from both Israel and Lebanon.

The statement comes after Israeli forces killed several people and injured scores trying to return to homes in south Lebanon where Israeli troops remained on the ground after a deadline for their withdrawal passed on Sunday.

“As seen tragically this morning, conditions are not yet in place for the safe return of citizens to their villages along the Blue Line. Displaced communities, already facing a long road to recovery and reconstruction, are therefore once again being called on to exercise caution,” United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert and UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Lt. Gen. Aroldo Lázaro said in the statement.

“Compliance by both parties with their obligations under the November Understanding and the full implementation of resolution 1701 constitute the only way to bring closure to the recent, dark chapter of conflict and open a new one, heralding security, stability and prosperity on both sides of the Blue Line,” they said.

“The United Nations continues to engage all actors towards this end and remains ready to support any action consistent with resolution 1701 and the efforts of the Implementation Mechanism to achieve the objectives of the November Understanding,” the statement said.

“With so much at stake for both Lebanon and Israel, recommitment is urgently needed from all sides,” it added.