Egypt Watch

50 Egyptian doctors die of COVID-19 in two weeks

The Egyptian Medical Syndicate asked the Ministry of Health to speed up the vaccination of medical teams against coronavirus and provide them with the necessary protection means in health facilities.

A statement issued by the Doctors Syndicate revealed that it had addressed the Ministry over the increase in infections and deaths of doctors in the recent period. It indicated that the number of dead reached 50 during the past two weeks.

The Doctors Syndicate’s statement said that the number of doctors who have died from the coronavirus since the pandemic outbreak until today has reached 466. The Doctors Syndicate expressed its readiness to assist in providing the vaccine in all governorates, whether by operating different headquarters or assisting in registering doctors or any other means of assistance that the Ministry deems appropriate.

The Ministry of Health launched a website to register the names of those wishing to receive the vaccine, according to previously announced criteria that include age and chronic diseases. Last week, the prime minister decided to start vaccinating members of parliament and their families after MPs announced their anger over the delay in receiving the vaccination.

Egypt is witnessing an increase in cases of coronavirus caused by the third wave, according to the Egyptian Presidential Adviser for Preventive Health Affairs. He confirmed that the new wave is severe. Despite the intensification of the third wave of coronavirus and the increase in the number of infected and deaths, according to the Ministry of Health data, the vaccination programme is proceeding slowly.

A former member of the Egyptian Parliament’s Health Committee, Amir Bassam, held the government responsible for the slow pace of immunisation and said there is a lack of confidence in the government on one side and the vaccine on the other.