More people have died of Covid-19 in Egypt so far in June than the entire previous four months combined.
The grim tally suggests that Egypt is far from being out of the woods despite pressing ahead to reopen the country and prevent the economy from tanking.
June’s grim milestone has coincided with an ill-timed and heavily publicised tussle between Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouli and Egypt’s doctors’ union.
On Tuesday, Mr Madbouli accused doctors and medical staff in unidentified provinces of turning up late or not turning up at all.
He blamed these doctors for the rising Covid-19 caseload and death toll.
“Administrative measures must be taken against anyone who skips work or does not report for duty on time because the state cannot, at this point, tolerate negligence of duty that harms the lives of our citizens,” Mr Madbouli said on TV.
He offered thanks to members of the medical profession for their role in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
Coronavirus around the Middle East
The union responded with a sharply worded statement, rejecting the charges and demanding that he retracts his comments and offer an apology.
It reminded Mr Madbouli that almost 100 doctors have so far died of Covid-10 because of their exposure to patients.
“Such comments could fuel the anger felt toward doctors and lead to an increase in the frequency of instances when patients and their companions assault medical teams,” the union said.
“The comments amount to inciting citizens against doctors instead of passing legislation that criminalises assaulting doctors.”
The quarrel between Mr Madbouli and the union was picked up on social media, where many users appeared to side with the medics, posting identical template posts declaring, “All the love for Egypt’s doctors".
As of Wednesday night, Egypt’s confirmed Covid-19 cases since mid-February reached 59,561, of which 33,009 – or 55 per cent – were recorded in June.
The single highest daily number came on June 18, when authorities announced 1,774 infections.
The June figures for deaths are grim. The total number of Covid-19-related deaths rose to 2,450, of which 1,395 – or 56 per cent – were recorded since the start of the month.
The highest daily number of deaths, 97, was recorded on June 15.
Sixty per cent of all fatalities and 50 per cent of the cases have occurred in the greater Cairo area, the overcrowded home of about 25 million people, according to the government.
But the numbers are relatively low given Egypt’s population of 100 million.
Officials acknowledge that the actual number could be much higher, but they deny a cover-up.
They maintain that only a massive testing drive could produce the real number or a figure close to it.
Many Covid-19 patients suffer mild symptoms and are treated away from the health system, while others with full-blown symptoms seek treatment in private medical centres.
The officials say the number of cases will remain high until the end of the month before they level off and then begin to decline by mid-July.
But the government’s decision this week to significantly ease measures introduced in March to contain the spread of the coronavirus could determine whether Egypt has turned the corner.
Mr Madbouli on Tuesday said restaurants, cafes, cinemas and theatres could reopen, provided they limited the number of customers to 25 per cent capacity.
Shop and malls can remain open until 9pm and public transport will continue to operate until midnight.
Mosques and churches can reopen for daily prayers but not for the weekly rituals such as Friday prayers or Sunday Mass. Public beaches and parks will remain shut.
The new rules go into force on Saturday.
Officials have long urged Egyptians to drop their casual attitude towards the pandemic and embrace preventive measures such as social distancing, wearing masks in public and hygienic practices.
They say that until a vaccine is developed, Egyptians must learn to live with Covid-19 and lead normal lives while embracing the prescribed preventive measures.
Authorities have fined or filed police reports against thousands of taxi drivers for not wearing the mandatory mask, or for allowing passengers to ride without one.
