Egypt’s daily coronavirus cases increase by 1,348again after brief drop

Egypt’s daily coronavirus cases increased again on Friday after a brief drop, jumping to 1,348 from 1,152 a day earlier.

The country has so far registered 31,115 cases since discovering its first infection in February.

Figures from the health ministry’s daily bulletins on the pandemic also showed that 40 had died over the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll from the contagion to 1,166.

Ministry spokesman Khaled Megahed said up to 402 patients have been discharged from quarantine hospitals nationwide, bringing the total number of fully recovered patients to 8,158.

Megahed noted that the number of patients whose results of coronavirus tests turned from positive to negative, including the full recoveries, reached 9,216.

It took 50 days for Egypt to reach the milestone of the first 1,000 infections on 4 April. On 28 May, the country started to surpass the daily 1000-infection mark, recording the highest single-day rise in infections last Sunday with 1,536 positive cases.

The infection rate slightly started to abate on Tuesday and Wednesday before rising again the following two days.

The government has begun reopening a number of suspended facilities and businesses as it is looking to return to normal starting from the second half of June, cabinet spokesman Nader Saad said earlier this week.