A major part of tackling Coronavirus (COVID-19) is by being socially aware that one mistake can cause a tragedy. In general, COVID-19 is highly contagious but patients with proper treatment and facilities do recover; however, those with underlying health issues and complications suffer the most and this includes cancer patients.
Those On The Front-lines
The doctors and nurses on the front lines working double the normal amount and risking their lives to save others are at risk themselves too. Alongside supporting doctors and nurses globally, it is important that those working in hospitals and dealing with cases other than COVID-19 take caution.
It is a given fact that nursing salaries are not top of the line and hence, many work in multiple hospitals at once. Egypt Today Magazine on March 30 stated that the Egyptian Nursing Syndicate had 19 nurses with COVID-19 cases. For some, it will not be life threatening but if transferred to a patient with the aforementioned underlying health conditions, it could lead to a tragic end.
The National Cancer Institute Case
The Egyptian Medical Syndicate stated, on their official Facebook page on Saturday, that a number of doctors and nurses at the National Cancer Institute have tested positive for COVID-19. They added to say that these doctors and nurses were put in isolation after test results were confirmed.
According to CNN Arabic, the Egyptian Medical Syndicate said there are a total of 10 cases, three of which are doctors, at the National Cancer Institute. They also explained that these new cases are part of Friday night’s statistics that reported 120 new cases in Egypt. However, the Associated Press (republished in the New York Times) and Youm7 stated that a total of 15 cases were found including three doctors and 12 nurses. Some other publications also reported that it was 17 cases.
The Ahram Gate, and various other local newspapers, this morning stated that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi ordered that the entire institute be checked, including patients who visited during these two weeks.
Before all that, the news on the National Cancer Institute in Egypt got attention on Amr Adib’s talk show ‘The Story’ on MBC Masr when the director of the National Cancer Institute in Egypt, Dr. Hatem Abu Al-Qasim, said that the center would close briefly for disinfection and sterilization.
On the show, Al-Qasim revealed that this spread of COVID-19 in the center came from a supervisor/ nurse who works at another hospital too. He added to explain that there are other hospitals who had cases of the virus.
COVID-19 in Egypt: Looking At The Bigger Picture
This is the news that made headlines recently but regardless of the increasing numbers and the count, the government, ministers, countries across the world and literally everyone on social media has been talking about staying safe, staying home and taking caution when on the street.
But of course, not everyone can stay home and not everyone can close their house door completely. This includes patients, doctors and nurses who work in hospitals for a living.
According to an article written by The New Yorker titled “Keeping the Coronavirus from Infecting Health-Care Workers”, explained that in Wuhan, China when the numbers peaked at an alarming rate doctors and nurses who would go to work and then go back home to their families became a source of the virus’ transmission.
What they did in Wuhan was that health-care workers attending to patients “were housed away from their families. They wore full-body protective gear, including goggles, complete head coverings, N95 particle-filtering masks, and hazmat-style suits.”
This is not to say that other countries, including Egypt, should adopt these methods. But it is enough to explain how dire the situation is for doctors and nurses who work in multiple hospitals and may occasionally have to attend to a patient with COVID-19. This goes hand in hand with the necessity of wearing masks and gloves and practicing social distancing at all times.
The Egyptian government and officials are calling for safety and taking caution so that the numbers stabilize and the curve can flatten.
