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.



Gazans Must Return Home, EU Plans to Tell Israel 

A Palestinian man and two girls stand a mid of the rubble of homes, destroyed by the Israeli army's air and ground offensive against Hamas in in Bureij refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. (AP)
A Palestinian man and two girls stand a mid of the rubble of homes, destroyed by the Israeli army's air and ground offensive against Hamas in in Bureij refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. (AP)
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Gazans Must Return Home, EU Plans to Tell Israel 

A Palestinian man and two girls stand a mid of the rubble of homes, destroyed by the Israeli army's air and ground offensive against Hamas in in Bureij refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. (AP)
A Palestinian man and two girls stand a mid of the rubble of homes, destroyed by the Israeli army's air and ground offensive against Hamas in in Bureij refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. (AP)

The EU plans to tell Israel next week that Palestinians uprooted from their Gaza homes should be ensured a dignified return and that Europe will contribute to rebuilding the shattered territory, according to a document seen by Reuters.

That echoes Arab positions but conflicts with President Donald Trump's stated aim for the US to take over the shattered coastal strip and rebuild it into a "Riviera of the Middle East" while Gazans emigrate to other nations.

The EU, which has been a major aid provider to Palestinians, is to outline its position to Israeli officials in talks in Brussels on February 24 as part of the EU-Israel Association Council, the first such session since 2022.

A document outlining the draft EU position emphasizes both Europe's commitment to Israel's security and its view that "displaced Gazans should be ensured a safe and dignified return to their homes in Gaza".

"The EU will actively contribute to a coordinated international effort to early recovery and reconstruction in Gaza," it said, also calling for full humanitarian access.

"The EU deeply deplores the unacceptable number of civilians, especially women and children, who have lost their lives, and the catastrophic humanitarian situation notably caused by the insufficient entry of aid into Gaza, in particular in the North."

Israel launched its assault on Gaza after fighters from the Palestinian group Hamas stormed southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

More than 48,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials. Much of the enclave has been laid waste with most of its 2.3 million pre-war population displaced multiple times, humanitarian agencies say.

"The EU strongly opposes all actions that undermine the viability of the two-state solution," the document added, referring to its position that Palestinians should have an independent homeland alongside Israel.