Egypt probes Covid-19 deaths due to alleged lack of oxygen

Egypt said Sunday it had opened an investigation into the deaths of four Covid-19 patients in an intensive care unit allegedly due to lack of oxygen, which had sparked a public outcry.

"The prosecutor's office in Al-Husseiniya (in the northern Sharqiya province) summoned the director of Al-Husseiniya hospital to question him over the deaths of four people due to lack of oxygen," a judicial source told AFP, without specifying the dates of the deaths.

Since Saturday, numerous social media users had shared a video of patients in a hospital ward, with a voice heard saying "everyone is dead in intensive care".

The prosecutor's office confirmed the video was of Al-Husseiniya hospital, which was also identified in comments on social media.

The 45-second video also shows hospital staff apparently trying to revive patients.

Warning: some viewers may find the footage distressing 

Egypt, the Arab world's most populous country with around 100 million inhabitants, has reported more than 140,000 cases of the Covid-19 disease, including 7,800 deaths.

Read also: Egypt bans New Year celebrations to curb rising coronavirus cases

Authorities acknowledge, however, that the real number of cases is higher, as only positive tests from health ministry labs have been reported.

After a brief lull, the number of infections rose dramatically in late 2020, from around 100 new cases confirmed per day in October, to some 1,400 daily cases currently.

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