CAIRO – 15 May 2020: Researchers and scientists at Cairo University managed to publish 18 research papers on coronavirus and to carry out eight clinical trials, in a bid to develop treatment and vaccine for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), a statement by the university said.
This means the 112-year old university has published most of the researches on coronavirus nationwide. So far, 55 researches have been issued and 33 clinical studies have been conducted in Egypt, according to the statement.
“This protocol is unique as it combines between working as an antiviral and as a regulator or organizer for the immune system. It also does not have significant side effects,” the statement added.
Clinical trials
Earlier in May, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Khaled Abdel Ghaffar referred to the efforts of Egyptian universities and research centers in carrying out most of the clinical trials in Africa, with 22 clinical trials out of 30 experiments conducted by African countries.
According to the clinical trials website, the minister announced that Egypt ranks first among Middle Eastern and African countries carrying out experiments to find a cure for the emerging coronavirus.
Abdel Ghaffar stressed that Egypt has conducted half of the experiments carried out by countries in the Middle East to find a medicine that resists the emerging coronavirus; the Middle Eastern countries have carried out 44 experiments since the outbreak of the virus in China.
He noted that Egypt comes at the forefront, followed by Iran, Israel, Turkey, Cyprus, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq.
Treatment protocols
Late in March, the Egyptian Minister of Health Hala Zayed said hospitals in the country are using anti-malaria and HIV drugs in the treatment of coronavirus.
In media remarks given to al-Hikaya talk show on MBC Misr channel, Zayed said that such drugs should not be taken haphazardly by people and physicians are those who have the authority to prescribe them.
Also, in mid-April, Mohamed Tag El-Deen, the Advisor for Health Affairs to President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said Egypt started treating 50 coronavirus patients with the Japanese antiviral drug Avigan.
This comes a week after Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Khaled Abdel Ghaffar said the ministry has managed to communicate with the Japanese manufacturer of the antiviral drug Avigan to treat patients with coronavirus.
The drug, developed by a group firm of Fujifilm Holdings Corp., has been stored in Japan as a treatment for influenza. Reports in China showed that the drug has been effective in treating the respiratory disease caused by the virus.
The Health Ministry on Thursday said 398 people have tested positive for coronavirus in Egypt recently, bringing the total number of cases to 10,829.
The ministry also reported 15 deaths due to the novel virus, bringing the total number to 571. World Health Organization’s representative in Egypt John Jabbour said in mid-April WHO is looking at the cause of the high coronavirus rate of deaths in the northeastern African country.
Also, the test results of 3,133 people turned from positive to negative, the ministry said, including 2,626 people who totally recovered. It added that 140 patients left hospitals.
This is the highest number in the daily coronavirus cases since Monday May 11, according to the official figures provided by the ministry. On Friday and Saturday, the country recorded 495 and 488 coronavirus positive patients, its highest daily count so far. On May 3, the country reported 272 cases, its lowest this month.
As Egypt recently saw a surge in the number of the coronavirus cases, Health Minister Hala Zayed on Saturday said the state authorities have responded to the coronavirus crisis and made all efforts to curb its spread, blaming the surge on the behavior of many citizens.