Egypt Launches Awareness Campaigns on COVID-19 During Al-Fitr Holiday

Men in protective masks wait for the train at a metro station in Cairo. (Reuters)
Men in protective masks wait for the train at a metro station in Cairo. (Reuters)
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Egypt Launches Awareness Campaigns on COVID-19 During Al-Fitr Holiday

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

Egypt’s Health Ministry launched awareness campaigns on the COVID-19 outbreak during Eid al-Fitr, urging citizens to respect all necessary precautions.

Finance Minister Mohamed Maait said that the Egyptian president directed the concerned authorities to provide financial support to the health sector to address the impacts of the third wave of the coronavirus.

As per the presidential directives, allocations should help meet the requirements of hospitals from medical supplies and importation of COVID-19 vaccines, the minister noted.

In a statement on Friday, Maait said additional allocations hitting EGP13.2 billion have been offered to the health sector since the beginning of the current fiscal year to maintain the safety of citizens and reduce the spread of the global pandemic.

The government is closely following up on the repercussions of the third wave and taking all measures needed to curb its spread.

Health Ministry spokesperson Khaled Megahed also affirmed that awareness campaigns are still being launched in all provinces, especially as Egyptian celebrate Eid al-Fitr.

A number of teams are working to raise community awareness at public markets, railway stations, public transport, places of worship, salons, cafes, shopping centers, and villages, in cooperation with the sheiks and concerned authorities.

Egypt recorded 1,193 COVID-19 infections, and 59 deaths, raising the total number of infections to 242,120 cases, while the death toll stood at 14,150 deaths. The country also reported 179,261 recoveries.



Gaza's Health Ministry Says the Palestinian Death Toll from the War Has Surpassed 46,000

People search the rubble of a building destroyed in an Israeli strike on the Bureij camp for Palestinian refugees in the central Gaza Strip on January 8, 2025 as the war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement continues. (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP)
People search the rubble of a building destroyed in an Israeli strike on the Bureij camp for Palestinian refugees in the central Gaza Strip on January 8, 2025 as the war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement continues. (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP)
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Gaza's Health Ministry Says the Palestinian Death Toll from the War Has Surpassed 46,000

People search the rubble of a building destroyed in an Israeli strike on the Bureij camp for Palestinian refugees in the central Gaza Strip on January 8, 2025 as the war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement continues. (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP)
People search the rubble of a building destroyed in an Israeli strike on the Bureij camp for Palestinian refugees in the central Gaza Strip on January 8, 2025 as the war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement continues. (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP)

More than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war, Gaza's Health Ministry said Thursday, as the conflict raged into a 16th month with no end in sight.
The ministry said a total of 46,006 Palestinians have been killed and 109,378 wounded. It has said women and children make up more than half the fatalities, but does not say how many of the dead were fighters or civilians, said The Associated Press.
The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. It says it tries to avoid harming civilians and blames Hamas for their deaths because the militants operate in residential areas. Israel has also repeatedly struck what it claims are militants hiding in shelters and hospitals, often killing women and children.
The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250. Some 100 hostages are still inside Gaza. Israeli authorities believe at least a third of them were killed in the initial attack or have died in captivity.
The war has flattened large areas of Gaza and displaced around 90% of its 2.3 million people, with many forced to flee multiple times. Hundreds of thousands are packed into sprawling tent camps along the coast with limited access to food and other essentials.
In recent weeks, Israel and Hamas have appeared to inch closer to an agreement for a ceasefire and the release of hostages. But the indirect talks mediated by the United States, Qatar and Egypt have repeatedly stalled over the past year, and major obstacles remain.