Resisting the coronavirus in Egypt
2020 coronavirus outbreak timeline
In late February and early March, multiple foreign severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus cases associated with travel to Egypt were reported - including two cases in the United States, two cases in France, one case in Canada, and one case in Taiwan.
On 1 March, Qatar banned all arrivals from Egypt, excepting Qatari nationals, as a safety measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus. On the same day, Egypt announced the detection of a second case.
On 2 March, Kuwait announced that it would test all arrivals from Egypt and Syria for coronavirus. It was estimated by Egypt Watch that Egypt had 20 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus, which was reported by Middle East Monitor on 2 March. The people with confirmed cases were claimed to be held in military hospitals, inaccessible to the Egyptian Ministry of Health and official health statistics reported to WHO. Confirmed cases allegedly absent from official statistics included a family in Tanta Military Hospital and four people in Qasr El Eyni Hospital.
On 6 March, the Egyptian Health Ministry and WHO confirmed 12 new cases of coronavirus infection. The infected persons were among the Egyptian staff aboard a Nile River cruise ship, travelling from Aswan to Luxor. This ship is variously known as the MS River Anuket or Asara All those who tested positive for coronavirus did not show any symptoms of the disease. According to tests, the virus spread from a Taiwanese-American female tourist on the ship.
On 7 March 2020, health authorities announced that 45 people on board had tested positive, and that the ship had been placed in quarantine at a dock in Luxor.
How the spread of the coronavirus is creating disturbances
In the Middle East, Iran remains the epicenter of the epidemic with 6,566 infections and 194 deaths. But Egypt remains a country of concern in the Arab world because of its dependence on foreign tourism. Millions of its citizens also travel back and forth to work in many countries in the region, posing a high-risk scenario for other countries.
Tourism in a bad position
Hossam el Shaer, the head of the chamber of tourism companies, told an Egyptian newspaper Sunday that foreign tourist bookings have fallen by as much as 80 percent from the same period last year. The news coincided with a sharp drop in the Egyptian stock market, forcing the suspension of trading in 25 hard-hit companies. Tourism, one of Egypt’s most important sources of foreign currency, was showing signs of a rebound after the political chaos that followed the 2011 Arab Spring revolts that ousted President Hosni Mubarak and a spate of terrorist attacks.
The death of the German tourist was another blow. He tested positive at a hospital and was placed in intensive care after refusing to be quarantined at another medical facility, the health ministry said. His condition deteriorated Sunday.
It brings back bad memories
Cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS-CoV) infections, a virus of the same family as the new coronavirus COVID-19 which was first identified in late 2012, continue to be reported in countries of the Arabian Peninsula. The Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, or MERS, is a viral respiratory illness that emerged in 2012 and is part of the coronavirus family of viruses. MERS is believed to have come from an animal source, like coronavirus, and was first discovered in the Arabian Peninsula, according to the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. Researchers believe the illness originated from camels. Individuals who contract the disease are likely to to suffer from fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Saudi Arabia and other affected countries managed to contain MERS without it spreading worldwide as coronavirus has.
Health system solutions
Egyptian authorities have intensified measures in the ancient southern city of Luxor to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus after the country’s first virus death was recorded in a foreign tourist who had stayed in the famous Nile destination, officials have said. Authorities have, meanwhile, enforced preventive measures at different facilities in Luxor that attracts millions of local and foreign visitors mainly in the winter.
Three government ministers visited Luxor on Sunday and toured the city’s landmark sites to inspect the health situation there after the infections detected on the Nile boat that was on a journey from the neighbouring city of Aswan to Luxor.
The ministers of health, tourism and civil aviation went to Luxor where they confirmed that the situation there was under control. “We decided to visit the Karnak to send a reassuring message to the world that Egypt is safe and things in Luxor are going on normally,” Health Minister Hala Zayed said.
It is not yet the end of the world
The WHO reported in February that 80 per cent of COVID-19 cases report only mild, flu-like symptoms, and just 2 per cent of cases have resulted in death. While COVID-19 has a much lower death rate than epidemics of similar viruses such as SARS or MERS, it has spread far wider.
The incubation period for the new coronavirus is estimated to be between 2 and 14 days. Symptoms are variable (fever, cough, difficulty breathing and sometimes a sore throat, rarely a cold). The disease is often mild (about 80% of cases) but more rarely, can lead to severe damage to the respiratory tract which can be fatal, especially in people with chronic diseases.
In the event of a visit to an affected region
Wash your hands thoroughly several times a day with soap or hand sanitizer; also, after contact with possibly contaminated surfaces such as door handles
Cough and sneeze in a tissue (to be thrown away after use + wash your hands) or if necessary, in the crook of the elbow (= more hygienic than in the hand)
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
Avoid contact with people suffering from respiratory ailments, cough or fever or flu-like symptoms: keep at least 2 meters away and give up kissing and shaking hands.
Avoid crowds like sporting events or public transportation, department stores or markets, movie theater.
During the 14 days following your return: take care of your personal hygiene (wash and disinfect often the hands, sneeze in handkerchiefs or failing that the elbow) and avoid if possible the crowds.
If symptoms appear (fever, cough, difficulty breathing) during or up to 14 days after your return, stay at home / in your hotel room (do not go to public places) and contact a doctor or medical center by phone indicating your symptoms and the place visited. If necessary, consult him or the medical center while wearing a mask. There is no indication to do a diagnostic test in the absence of symptoms (because it would not exclude an infection).
For more information via our local teams:
Algeria (+216) 561-660-721
Belgium (+32) 23-19-64-13
Italy (+39) 642-272-173
Morocco (+216) 650-947-178
Tunisia (+216) 54-29-35-63
Switzerland (+216) 225-524-120
