A medic works at al-Abassia Chest Hospital in Cairo, Egypt on April 29, 2020. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)
by Ahmed Shafiq
CAIRO, May 8 (Xinhua) -- Since mid-March, Dr. Mohammed Eid, director of Egypt's largest chest hospital, stays at his office to help his colleagues fight the coronavirus pandemic which has so far infected thousands of Egyptians.
"I barely go home, maybe once a week...I cannot leave the hospital since we are currently busy 24 hours a day," said Eid, the director of Cairo's al-Abassia Chest Hospital, the largest and oldest hospital in Egypt specializing in treating cases with critical respiratory problems.
Eid said that making urgent decisions around the clock cannot be made from home, that is why he decided to use a small room at his office as a residence as long as the pandemic is ongoing.
"It is also safer for my family because I may infect them if I contract the coronavirus...I'm very thankful to my family because they help much carry out my job meticulously," Dr. Eid told Xinhua.
Dr. Eid said the first suspected case his hospital received was an Egyptian student who came back from China on February 1, adding that the young lady tested negative to the virus.
"Since then we started to receive suspected cases...we have so far received more than 500 suspected cases, of whom 133 tested positive," he revealed.
Dr. Eid noted that many patients suffering from other diseases whose conditions are stable have been discharged from the hospital to complete their treatment at home in order to make room for coronavirus suspected cases.
"Now the hospital serves as an isolation hospital for confirmed and suspected cases. Only one building at the hospital is being used to treat tuberculosis patients," he added.
Dr. Eid said the hospital has 582 employees, including doctors, nurses, and other workers, stressing that all of them take all protective measures to avoid infection.
"Our work is really dangerous...but we will do our duty vigorously," he said.
Dr. Sahar al-Sayyed, director of laboratories at the al-Abassia Chest Hospital, said "Lab workers are among those at highest risk, but perform all procedures based on risk assessment to avoid infections."
Egypt has so far confirmed 7,981 COVID-19 cases, including 482 deaths and 1,887 recoveries.
The North African country on Thursday extended a nationwide night-time curfew for another 15 days until the end of the holy month of Ramadan to curb the spread of the pandemic.
The Egyptian government has recently started easing the anti-coronavirus restrictions by reopening some services and offices closed over the past six weeks.
