The spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Population Hossam Abdel-Ghaffar said that the possibility of the school year being post-poned isn’t ruled out, following the announcement of two cases in Egypt infected with the EG5 coronavirus variant.
During a telephone interview with Sada al-Balad channel on Tuesday, Abdel-Ghaffar explained that “Until now, scientific evidence did not support this move, because despite its (EG.5) rapid spread, it did not lead to hospitalization or increase in deaths and does not require precautionary measures.”
“The two cases infected with the new variant suffer from symptoms of known respiratory infections,” he added, adding that the state’s monitoring devices can examine people to find out what exact disease they suffer from – differentiating from influenza, COVID-19, or the syncytial virus.
Abdel-Ghaffar stressed that anyone suffering from respiratory symptoms must go to the hospital, especially if they suffer from weak immunity and chronic diseases.
He recommended that facemasks be worn in crowded areas and when suffering from respiratory illnesses such as the common cold. He also advised maintaining a healthy diet to strengthen the immune system.
Abdel-Ghaffar warned against taking any antibiotics without a doctor’s prescription, as they can be damaging if misused: the World Health Organization has warned that 50 million people are at risk of dying due to antibiotic misuse.
Egyptian Presidential Advisor for Health and Prevention Affairs Mohamed Awad Tag-Eddin warned on Monday that the coronavirus threat is not over, as the “EG.5” strain continues its spread.
During a phone interview with the Extra News channel, Tag-Eddin explained, “We are not in a state that calls for concern or panic, and the coronavirus pandemic will not end because it has become part of the prevailing respiratory viruses around the world.”
