Egypt is about to use the anti-viral drug, Remdesivir (GS-5734), as part of its medical protocol to treat coronavirus patients, a health official said, adding that Hydroxy chloroquine will continue to be included. Remdesivir was developed by the American biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences and has shown some good indications in coronavirus treatment. The Health Ministry’s scientific committee to combat coronavirus (COVID-19) has affirmed that Hydroxy chloroquine shows good results with the coronavirus patients in Egypt and shows no harm, Hossam Hosny, head of the committee told dmc said. He, however, warned against taking any medication without medical advice.

 Hosny also called on those who have recently recovered from the novelvirus to donate blood, a month after Egypt had announced starting treating coronavirus patients using plasma. Hospitals & Healthcare notes that increased healthcare costs related to Covid-19 are increasing elsewhere, not just in Egypt. In India, private hospitals are reportedly increasing treatment costs due to the additional PPE and sanitisation measures required for Covid-19 patients; while in Malaysia, a hospital recently received a fine for overcharging a coronavirus patient. The vast majority of the Covid-19 patients being treated in these scenarios are foreign nationals, so are we seeing instances of private hospitals charging international patients more than local patients? It wouldn’t be the first time.