No Omicron variant cases detected in Egypt, Presidential Health Adviser

CAIRO – 29 November 2021: Egypt did not record any cases with the Omicron variant until now, according to Presidential Health Adviser Mohamed Awad Tag El-Din on Monday.

He added in televised statements that mutations and changes in viruses are ‘very natural’, whether the virus was coronavirus or any other virus.

He noted that: “Scientifically, when an individual’s personal immunity is formed with repeated infection or by receiving vaccinations, them the virus as a living organism is trying to defend itself and mutates. This is a very normal thing.”

“No matter how coronavirus has mutated. As long as we didn’t notice changes in the rates of the virus spread or symptoms and their severity, no need to concern about it.” Tag El-Din said.

Egypt’s Health Ministry said on Sunday night that 951 new coronavirus cases were detected in Egypt over the past 24 hours, upping the total number of infections to 356,718.

Health Ministry spokesman Hossam Abdel Ghaffar said 42 patients died from the virus over the past 24 hours, raising the death toll to 20,347

As many as 733 patients were discharged from hospitals after receiving medical care, taking the number of recoveries to 296,167, it added.

The Ministry of Health and Population announced Sunday the reception of 3.89 million doses of Pfizer vaccine through Covax and Gavi.

The consignment arrived at Cairo International Airport on Saturday evening being the second of its kind in less than a week.

Cairo International Airport received on Wednesday 3,688,500 doses of the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine, Acting Health Minister Khaled Abdel Ghaffar said.

The shipment, delivered through COVAX and in cooperation with the Vaccine Alliance (GAVI), comprises 2,388,500 AstraZeneca shots and 1.3 million Johnson & Johnson shots provided by the United States, Abdel Ghaffar noted.

A total of 29 million citizens have received the first coronavirus vaccine shot, Cabinet Spokesman Nader Saad said on Wednesday, noting that those who also received the second shot totals 15 million.

Egypt has started its vaccination campaign in January this year.