Egypt says has enough supply of coronavirus medications to fulfill market need

Egypt has secured a large enough supply of coronavirus medications to cover the needs of the local market, medical adviser to the country’s prime minister Hossam Al-Masry said on Tuesday.

Al-Masry reassured citizens that they do not need to hoard these medications out of fear of for a shortage.

In September, the Egyptian Drug Authority secured around 2.5 million packages of the antibiotic Azithromycin, as well as about 233,000 bottles of the same drug, according to a Cabinet statement citing a report by the government’s medical affairs secretariat.

In addition, the report showed that around 5.2 million packages of Paracetamol, a medication used to treat fever, and 140,000 bottles of the drug have been secured.

The Authority has also secured 1.6 million packs of Zinc pills and 3.3 million Vitamin C packs, the statement read. These drugs are acknowledged and included in the international protocols for the treatment of coronavirus.

To date, Egypt has reported 103,781 coronavirus cases, 5,990 related deaths, and 97,398 recoveries since the outbreak first hit the North African country in mid-February.