Egypt implements strong measures to fight COVID-19, different scenarios might happen: WHO

CAIRO – 7 April 2020: The World Health Organization Representative in Egypt, John Jabbour, said that Egypt implements strong responsive measures to fight the coronavirus epidemic.

In statements to "Al-Hikaya" talk show on MBC Masr Channel, Jabbour said that Egypt could have different scenarios evolving from the current situation. “I affirm that if Egyptians do not follow the government's instructions, the situation will take a turn that does not come in the favor of anyone,” Jabbour added.

He further noted that the international situation is already dangerous, and cannot be underestimated; however, the most important thing is to keep the “physical distance” between each other.

When asked about the official figures announced by the Egyptian government regarding COVID-19 cases, Jabbour said that during epidemic time, the number of infected cases might be underestimated and that this comes as a result of the slight symptoms that may accompany the infection.

“Nearly 85 percent of Egyptians recorded mild symptoms and they did not need to be hospitalized at all, accordingly, some cases could not be detected or discovered,” Jabbour explained.

He affirmed that the more figures for COVID-19 announced by the government daily, the more reassuring the situation is, because it simply means that the cases are determined and quarantined to protect the rest of the society.

On Sunday, the Egyptian Ministry of Health recorded 103 positive cases for the novel coronavirus and seven deaths. Also, six patients were released from a quarantine hospital after recovering from coronavirus.

"The number of cases who tested negative for coronavirus after being quarantined rose to 346, 274 of them are fully recovered," the ministry’s spokesperson Khaled Megahed.