Egypt: All staff at Al-Azhar Hospital contract COVID-19

Members of the medical staff at the infectious diseases unit of the Imbaba hospital in the capital Cairo on 19 April, 2020 [AHMED HASAN/AFP via Getty Images]

The Egyptian Medical Syndicate (EMS) yesterday called for an increase in the number of isolation hospitals for health workers after all medical personnel at Al-Azhar University Hospital tested positive for the coronavirus, Al Jazeera reported.

President of Al-Azhar University, Dr Muhammad Al-Mahrasawi decided on Monday to temporarily close Al-Zahra University Hospital after 35 hospital staff tested positive for COVID-19.

Yesterday, Vice President of Al-Azhar University and General Supervisor of Hospitals, Dr. Mahmoud Seddi, announced that the number of cases among the medical centre’s staff had increased to 135.

Eleven doctors and six nurses have died from the coronavirus so far, while 178 doctors have been infected, according to Ibrahim El-Zayat, an EMS council member.

Egypt announced 338 new coronavirus cases yesterday, bringing the total number of infections to 10,431, the death toll reached 556, the Health Ministry announced.

Canadian researchers believe the infection rate is much higher amid concerns of a government coverup.

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