There has been confusion and anger after it was reported that every patient in an Egyptian intensive care department died after the ward ran out of oxygen. All patients were being treated for Covid-19 infections.
Egyptian authorities have now opened an investigation into the incident, but local officials have claimed that it was not the case that the hospital ran out of oxygen for the intensive care patients.
The allegations came after at least 4 people died on the ward including, two women in their 60s, and two men aged 76 and 44. A video showed nurses running around trying to save the patients. The video was captured by a relative of one of the patients and has now been shared widely on social-media, leading to public anger. The facility involved is the Al-Husseiniya Central Hospital located in the Sharqia province.
The first scene in the horror series of 2021 💔💔💔#مستشفي_الحسينيه pic.twitter.com/KgpNrxgknB
— Loay Ehab🕵🏻 (@loayEhab2000) January 3, 2021
News Agency, Middle East Eye, also reported that a similar incident had occurred at Zefta General Hospital in which a number of other patients had died due to lack of oxygen.
A member of the Egyptian parliament, Sayed Rahmo, has said they have evidence that the deaths were due to negligence. The Middle East Eye reported that the lawmaker said:
"The patients died as a result of negligence at the Al-Husseiniya hospital and the mismanagement of the oxygen shortage crisis. According to my sources, the intensive care doctor informed the hospital director about the shortage of oxygen supply at least an hour [before the catastrophe]."
Authorities have, however, downplayed the incident saying that all patients died of complications due to Covid-19.
Egypt is the Arab world's most populous country and has a population of over 100 million people. It has, like many developing countries, been somewhat shielded form a high-death rate from Covid-19 as a result of having, on average, a much younger population than those countries more seriously affected, such as the United States and the United Kingdom.
However, it has still recorded over 140,000 official cases and almost 8,000 deaths. These numbers, particularly the number infected, are believed to be vastly lower than the true number.
Egypt's main health authority has confirmed within the last few days that it will be taking the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine for emergency use and begin distributing the vaccine to those most in need within the next two weeks. They are also seeking to procure the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine and the PfizerBioNTech vaccine. Both these vaccines are now being rolled out in the Western world. There has however been grave concern over the number of vaccine doses available in the near future.
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