Family visits in Ramadan led to soaring Covid-19 cases: presidential advisor

CAIRO - 31 May 2020: Family visits during Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr are behind the increase in the number of patients infected with Covid-19, presidential advisor Mohamed Awad Tag el-Deen said Sunday.

He said medical facilities are “still able” to handle the expected numbers.

Although the restaurants and mosques were closed during Ramadan, which are places heavily frequented during the holy month, some people managed to exchange visits break their fast at dusk together even as the curfew began at 9 p.m.

Tag el-Deen added in a press conference that a protocol and home quarantine are advised for mild cases, appealing to the public to follow preventative measures.

The new procedures of diagnosis and treatment allow the immediate handling of coronavirus patients, the advisor added.

At the same press conference, Health Minister Hala Zayed stated that the number of quarantine hospitals rose from 18 to 340 with a total capacity of 35,152 beds, 3,539 ICU beds, 2,218 ventilators, 125 CT scanners, and 643 X-Ray devices.

2020: Egypt recorded 1536 new coronavirus, COVID-19 cases, Sunday, raising the total number of confirmed cases since the outbreak in Egypt to 24985.