Egypt Says No New COVID-19 Variant Detected

Students wear face masks at a school in Cairo. EPA file photo
Students wear face masks at a school in Cairo. EPA file photo
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Egypt Says No New COVID-19 Variant Detected

Students wear face masks at a school in Cairo. EPA file photo
Students wear face masks at a school in Cairo. EPA file photo

Egypt on Friday confirmed it has not detected a new COVID-19 variant in the country as the health ministry continued to expand the vaccination drive.

The ministry said on Friday it recorded 919 new coronavirus cases, upping the total number of infections to 341,188.

In a statement, ministry spokesman Khaled Megahed said 60 patients died from complications caused by the disease over the past 24 hours, raising the death toll to 19,309.

As many as 622 patients were discharged from hospitals after receiving medical care, taking the number of recoveries to 285,615.

The ministry also said it continues to take all necessary preventive measures against any viruses or infectious diseases.

“The ministry has not detected any new COVID-19 variants in the country. We are now witnessing the fourth wave of the pandemic, but compared to the last wave, the infection rates are lower,” Megahed said.

The spokesperson announced that the ministry is vaccinating 500,000 people per day.

There is a drive to expand the delivery of vaccines and increase the online registration of citizens on the ministry’s website dedicated for the vaccination campaign, he said.

The ministry renewed its calls to implement precautionary measures after receiving the vaccine and stressed the importance of wearing face masks, ensuring social distancing, and washing hands constantly to avoid getting infected.



Iraq Holds Kurdish Government Legally Responsible for Continued Oil Smuggling

Kurdish protesters block the road in front of trucks carrying oil in the Arbat area near Sulaymaniyah, Iraq February 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed/File Photo
Kurdish protesters block the road in front of trucks carrying oil in the Arbat area near Sulaymaniyah, Iraq February 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed/File Photo
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Iraq Holds Kurdish Government Legally Responsible for Continued Oil Smuggling

Kurdish protesters block the road in front of trucks carrying oil in the Arbat area near Sulaymaniyah, Iraq February 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed/File Photo
Kurdish protesters block the road in front of trucks carrying oil in the Arbat area near Sulaymaniyah, Iraq February 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed/File Photo

Iraq's oil ministry said on Thursday it holds the Kurdish regional government (KRG) legally responsible for the continued smuggling of oil from the Kurdish region outside the country.

The ministry reserves the right to take all legal measures in the matter, it added.

Control over oil and gas has long been a source of tension between Baghdad and Erbil, Reuters reported.

Iraq is under pressure from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to cut output to compensate for having produced more than its agreed volume. OPEC counts oil flows from Kurdistan as part of Iraq's quota.

In a ruling issued in 2022, Iraq's federal court deemed an oil and gas law regulating the oil industry in Iraqi Kurdistan unconstitutional and demanded that Kurdish authorities hand over their crude oil supplies.

The ministry said the KRG’s failure to comply with the law has hurt both oil exports and public revenue, forcing Baghdad to cut output from other fields to meet OPEC quotas.

The ministry added that it had urged the KRG to hand over crude produced from its fields, warning that failure to do so could result in significant financial losses and harm the country’s international reputation and oil commitments.

Negotiations to resume Kurdish oil exports via the Iraq-Türkiye oil pipeline, which once handled about 0.5% of global oil supply, have stalled over payment terms and contract details.