Three doctors have died of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) in Egypt, with 43 others tested positive for the virus, the Egyptian Medical Syndicate announced in a Saturday statement. The syndicate added that the number of infections amongst healthcare professionals is likely to be increasing.
Only two of the fatalities and infections contracted the virus outside their workplaces through community transmission, the syndicate said.
“We call on the Ministry of Health to reveal the health situation of doctors and medical professionals, as other countries do, and to keep the syndicate informed with the data of infected doctors to do our obligation toward their families,” the syndicate said in the statement.
The syndicate has urged that all concerned bodies ensure medical supplies at hospitals and medical installations are availabile to avoid the further spread of the coronavirus. It also asked that coronavirus swab tests on all medical professionals who have been in contact with positive cases be diligently undertaken.
The syndicate called on all doctors to wear face masks and take other preventive measures during treatment of patients to protect themselves and the society.
The syndicate also repeated its call on the cabinet to apply Law No.16 of 2018 to medical professionals who were infected or died from infection. The law had originally been established to honour security and military martyrs or casualties.
On Friday, the syndicate mourned the death of Dr Tarek Shoukry, a deputy at AbbasiaHospital for Mental Health, who died of the coronavirus at the Abbassia FeverHospital’s intensive care unit.
The first doctor to die from the coronavirus in Egypt was Dr Ahmed El-Lawah, a 50-year-old Pathology Professor and head of Al-Azhar University’s Department of Medical Analysis. He passed away in an Ismailia quarantine hospital.
In a different note, a viral video on Saturday showed residents of two villages in Daqahleya governorate refusing the burial of a female doctor who died of the coronavirus over fears of the virus spreading. The residents of Shubra Al Bahw and Mit Al Amel villages tried to prevent the ambulance which carried the body of the 64-year-old doctor from entering the burial area. Eventually, security forces fired tear gas to disperse the crowd and allowed the doctor’s burial to take place in Shubra Al Bahw.
The Health Ministry announced on Friday that there were 17 new deaths from the coronavirus and 95 new infections. The country’s total number of infections increased to be 1,794, with a total death toll of 135.
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