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Egypt warns against self-medicating to treat coronavirus

June 12, 2020 at 12:34 pm

Medical staff wearing protective gear help a patient in the isolated ward for the coronavirus in Cairo, Egypt on 29 April 2020 (COVID-19) [YAHYA DIWER/AFP/Getty Images]

Egyptians have been warned not to take home remedies and blood thinner to treat the coronavirus.

“In the context of addressing a number of rumours circulating on social media about the use of anticoagulant drugs as a treatment for the novel coronavirus, the authority would like to confirm that it does not prescript it except for very special cases,” the Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA) said in a statement yesterday.

The statement added that the drugs should not be taken without an “advice from a medical consultant”, adding that it could lead to “heavy bleeding”.

“Certain medications and supplements could increase the risk of bleeding associated with the use of anticoagulants and aspirin,” the statement explained, stressing that such medication should be taken under the supervision of medical consultants.

READ:Medics warn North Sinai’s health system will collapse without medical equipment

On Wednesday, official figures put the number of new infections at 1,455 with 36 new deaths.

Authorities have said in recent weeks that to get an accurate idea of the virus, figures should be multiplied by up to seven times.

Doctors have called for a full lockdown as they struggle to find spaces for patients and themselves, in isolation units, adequate preventative equipment and tests.

The country’s top medical union has warned that the healthcare system is close to collapse.