CAIRO: Egypt signalled an expansion of testing for the new coronavirus on Wednesday, announcing that all the country’s 320 general hospitals would offer testing to people showing symptoms of the illness.
People with minor symptoms will be sent home as they await test results, while those showing serious symptoms will be kept in hospital, according to a government statement. Since May 14, some patients with minor symptoms are being asked to self-isolate at home rather than in quarantine hospitals.
Egypt confirmed 745 new cases of the coronavirus on Wednesday, the highest daily increase yet, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 14,229.
The health ministry reported 21 new deaths, raising total deaths to 680. The number of people confirmed to have recovered stands at 3,994.
The World Health Organization has urged Egypt to expand the number of tests, without saying what level of testing it considers appropriate.
Authorities have not released regular updates on the number of tests carried out, though a presidential adviser said earlier this month that 105,000 PCR tests had been conducted.
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Egypt to offer coronavirus testing in all general hospitals
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Egypt to offer coronavirus testing in all general hospitals
- People with minor symptoms will be sent home as they await test results
- Those showing serious symptoms will be kept in hospital, the govt says
Some US troops departing Syria, official says
- The Wall Street Journal reported the US was withdrawing all of its roughly 1,000 troops from Syria
DAMASCUS: Some US troops are leaving Syria as part of a “deliberate and conditions-based transition,” a senior US official said on Wednesday.
The Wall Street Journal reported the US was withdrawing all of its roughly 1,000 troops from Syria.
“US forces remain poised to respond to any ISIS threats that arise in the region as we support partner-led efforts to prevent the terrorist network’s resurgence,” the senior administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said.
“However US presence at scale is no longer required in Syria given the Syrian government’s willingness to take primary responsibility for combating the terrorist threat within its borders,” the official added.
Last week, the US military said it completed a withdrawal from a strategic base in Syria, handing it over to Syrian forces, in the latest sign of strengthening US-Syrian ties that could enable an even larger American drawdown.
The Wall Street Journal reported the US was withdrawing all of its roughly 1,000 troops from Syria.
“US forces remain poised to respond to any ISIS threats that arise in the region as we support partner-led efforts to prevent the terrorist network’s resurgence,” the senior administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said.
“However US presence at scale is no longer required in Syria given the Syrian government’s willingness to take primary responsibility for combating the terrorist threat within its borders,” the official added.
Last week, the US military said it completed a withdrawal from a strategic base in Syria, handing it over to Syrian forces, in the latest sign of strengthening US-Syrian ties that could enable an even larger American drawdown.
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