Acting Health Minister Says Egypt Has Achieved COVID-19 Group Immunity

Illustration of COVID-19 in Egypt. (Wikimedia Commons/Mohamed Hozyen)

JAKARTA - Egypt's population of 102 million has achieved herd immunity against COVID-19, the country's acting health minister said.

During a phone call on a national talk show on Sunday evening, Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, who is also the country's Minister of Higher Education, provided an update on Egypt's pandemic situation.

Dr. Mohamed Tag El Din, the top health adviser to President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, last month told television the country was witnessing the sixth wave of COVID-19.

The most likely cause of the recent increase in infections worldwide are the two offshoots of the Omicron variant, BA.4 and BA.5, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.

But, Abdel Ghaffar said on Sunday, because more than 90 percent of Egyptians over the age of 18 have been vaccinated with at least one approved dose, the recent increase in coronavirus infections has not resulted in an increase in hospital admissions or ICU occupancy rates nationwide. .

The minister said 65 percent of the country's 18-year-olds had been fully vaccinated with two doses, and that 93 million doses of the approved vaccine had been administered in Egypt.

Minister Abdel Ghaffar said the country had achieved herd immunity, but that could change if people did not get a booster vaccination shot, urging the public to do so.

It is known that Egypt in June lifted all travel restrictions related to COVID-19 at its entry border, to boost the tourism sector, which has also been hit hard by the Russo-Ukrainian war, as it is usually a popular place for visitors from these countries.

In April, the Ministry of Health suspended its weekly updates on the country's coronavirus count and the minister said at the time, increased vaccinations had significantly reduced the number of serious disease infections, meaning the disease was less of a concern.