Egypt Warns of Third COVID-19 Wave

 Workers sterilizing al-Sayyida Nafisa mosque in Cairo (DPA)
Workers sterilizing al-Sayyida Nafisa mosque in Cairo (DPA)
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Egypt Warns of Third COVID-19 Wave

 Workers sterilizing al-Sayyida Nafisa mosque in Cairo (DPA)
Workers sterilizing al-Sayyida Nafisa mosque in Cairo (DPA)

An Egyptian health official said the country is preparing for a third COVID-19 wave, citing a surge in virus infections.

Presidential Adviser for Health Affairs Mohamed Awad Tageldin revealed that it is highly probable for Egypt to enter the third wave, stressing the importance of receiving the vaccine to curb the spread of the virus.

In a statement on Saturday, Tageldin affirmed that the side effects of the COVID-19 vaccines are “minor.”

He also said that it is not possible to determine if Egypt will start reporting a decline in infections before figures become stable.

The Health Ministry recorded on Friday 794 new cases and 39 deaths, raising the infection tally in the country to 208,876, including 158,454 recoveries and 12,362 deaths.

Meanwhile, the cabinet’s Information and Decision Support Center (IDSC) said Egypt ranked 68 out of 215 world countries in terms of the number of people infected with the virus. It also ranked seventh in the rate of deaths among the people infected and 178 in the rate of recoveries.



Israel Strikes Near Defense Ministry in Damascus

Syrian security forces deploy amid ongoing clashes in the southern city of Sweida, 16 July 2025. EPA/MOHAMMED AL RIFAI
Syrian security forces deploy amid ongoing clashes in the southern city of Sweida, 16 July 2025. EPA/MOHAMMED AL RIFAI
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Israel Strikes Near Defense Ministry in Damascus

Syrian security forces deploy amid ongoing clashes in the southern city of Sweida, 16 July 2025. EPA/MOHAMMED AL RIFAI
Syrian security forces deploy amid ongoing clashes in the southern city of Sweida, 16 July 2025. EPA/MOHAMMED AL RIFAI

The Israeli army said Wednesday that it struck near the entrance to the Syrian Ministry of Defense in Damascus.

The strike came as clashes continued in the southern Syrian city of Sweida after a ceasefire between government forces and armed groups collapsed.

Israel has launched a series of airstrikes on convoys of government forces since the clashes erupted, saying that it is acting to protect the Druze.