The total number of coronavirus (COVID-19) fatalities among Egyptian doctors rose to 46 on Saturday, after the death of 10 doctors in less than a week.
Talking to Daily News Egypt, Egyptian Medical Syndicate (EMS) council member Dr Ibrahim El-Zayat said doctors who have died from the coronavirus include: Dr Nermeen Jalal, a Consultant of Obstetrics and Gynaecology; Dr Mohamed Antar, teacher of Pharmacology at Al-Azhar University Faculty of Medicine Damietta; Hani Refaat, Professor of Nephrology at Ain Shams University; and Consultant Urologist Abdel-Azim Abu Al-Hassan.
Dr Mohsen Al-Haytami, Professor of Internal Medicine at Al-Azhar University, Ibrahim Ali, a Professor of Clinical Pathology also at Al-Azhar University, and Moatasim Zaki, Surgeon at Mataria Teaching Hospital, Dr Syed Rushdi, a teacher of neurology at Al-Azhar University and Hisham Abdel Hamid, a pediatrician, Dr Samir Othman, obstetrics and gynecology consultant, and Dr Ayman Zaki, obstetrics and gynecology consultanthave also died of the coronavirus.
Over 400 other doctors have been infected with the virus so far, El-Zayat revealed, saying, “We are still counting the total number of infections, but it has exceeded 400.”
Wael Sarhan, Head of the Egyptian Ambulance Organization Employees’ Syndicate, announced on Saturday that the number of infections among its employees has risen to 100, with two fatalities.
In a statement, Sarhan said that 36 family members of ambulance employees have tested positive for the coronavirus.
He called for all ambulances in Egypt to have the required medical supplies to avoid the spread of infection among ambulance employees.
Last week, the Nurses Syndicate announced that 10 nurses have died of the virus so far, but has not revealed the total number of infections.
The EMS had previously warned that Egypt’s health system could face a “complete collapse”, and called for protective measures for medical workers. This should be carried out by providing them with personal protective equipment (PPE), setting aside quarantine areas, and providing PCR tests and training.
Following EMS calls for medical workers to be allocated quarantine facilities, the Ministry of Health announced the allocation of 20 beds at each quarantine hospital across the country healthcare sector workers. The ministry also announced it will expand the availability of PCR tests for medical workers.
