15 medics at Egypt’s cancer centre test positive for coronavirus

At least 15 health workers at Egypt’s National Cancer Institute have tested positive for coronavirus.

Reem Emad, deputy manager of the National Cancer Institute, said three doctors and 12 nurses tested positive for the virus.

She added that they have been placed under quarantine.

“All the patients have been admitted to quarantine hospitals for treatment,” she said.

She also said all the medical staff and cancer patients were being tested and the institute has been sterilised.

In a statement, Mahmoud Alameldeen, Cairo University spokesman, said the institute’s clinics would only receive emergency cases.

Egypt, which is the third worst-hit in Africa, has so far reported 985 coronavirus cases with 66 fatalities.

The authorities have already imposed a two-week curfew on the country, which began on March 25, in an effort to control the spread of the virus.

Schools, universities, cinemas, theatres, mosques, and churches have been closed.

Stricter measures are still being expected in the country. Officials have said once the number of known infections surpasses 1,000, the task of tracing contacts and quarantining those affected would become harder.