Egypt's first coronavirus sufferer in recovery

The WHO said they are no longer carrying the virus

Egyptian Quarantine Authority employees prepare to scan body temperature for incoming travellers at Cairo International Airport amid efforts to detect possible cases of SARS-like coronavirus. AFP

The World Health Organization said on Wednesday that the person previously confirmed to have the COVID-19 coronavirus in Egypt is on his way to recovery, after latest tests showed he was “no longer carrying the virus”.

“He will remain in quarantine until the full 14-day period is over and will be undergoing further required tests to ensure he was fully recovered,” WHO spokeswoman Inas Hamam said in an email.

Egypt confirmed the case, its first, last week. It remains the only known instance of the new coronavirus in Africa. State TV earlier said a foreigner thought to be carrying the coronavirus had tested negative, raising questions about his initial infection.

The first two deaths from the virus in the Middle East and North Africa were announced on Wednesday in Iran after testing positive. They were the country's first cases, the Health Ministry said.

The two were Iranian citizens who lived in Qom, the state YJC news agency reported.

They were only the seventh deaths and eighth outside China, where the outbreak has killed more than 2,000 people.

Earlier this month, Egypt suspended all flights on its national carrier to China. They will remain grounded until the end of the month.

Three hundred and one Egyptians were evacuated from Wuhan, where the virus started in China, and have remained in quarantine for 14 days.