Egyptian justice announced on Sunday the opening of an investigation into the death, lack of oxygen, of four patients with COVID-19 in an intensive care unit, which sparked outrage on social networks .
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“Al-Husseiniya’s prosecution [gouvernorat de Charqiya, nord de l’Égypte] summoned the director of Al-Husseiniya hospital to question him about the death of four people due to lack of oxygen, ”a judicial source told AFP, without giving details on the date of these deaths.
Since Saturday, many indignant Internet users have relayed on social networks a video of a hospital ward with patients and a voice affirming “everyone died in intensive care”.
Al-Husseiniya hospital is identified in the comments and the prosecution confirmed that it was indeed that establishment.
The 45-second video also shows caregivers attempting to revive patients.
Egypt, the most populous country in the Arab world with some 100 million inhabitants, has recorded more than 140,000 cases of COVID-19, including nearly 7,800 deaths.
But officials admit that the number of cases is higher than the figures announced, as only those who have tested positive in the laboratories of the Ministry of Health are recorded.
After a brief lull, contaminations have increased drastically in recent months, from around 100 new cases recorded per day in October to around 1,400 new cases daily today.