Egypt is yet to receive a reported case of the coronavirus’s new EG.5 variant, confirmed Ministry of Health and Population spokesperson Hossam Abdel Ghaffar in an interview with Ahram Online on 14 August. Abdel Ghaffar’s statement means that Egypt is not on the list of 51 countries already reporting cases of the new variant – a list that features China with 2247 infections, the United States with 1356, and South Korea with 1040. SHOULD WE FEAR THE NEW VARIANT? EG.5 is a descendent lineage of XBB.1.9.2, a mixture subvariant of the infamous Omicron variant, published the World Health Organization (WHO) in a risk evaluation report on 9 August. The coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, continues to pose a threat to older adults and people with underlying conditions or severe illness. However, WHO has reported that EG.5, while more transmissible, does not pose any greater threat than previous variants of the virus. Abdel Ghaffar stressed on the WHO’s statement during his live television interview to assure citizens that the variant does not pose a greater threat. Instead, the spokesperson recommended citizens seek free-of-charge vaccinations and medical support provided by the state,…
No Signs of New Coronavirus Variant in Egypt Yet: Health Ministry
August 14, 2023
