Egyptian high-school pupils, masked and gloved, head into exams

Egyptian high-school pupils, masked and gloved, head into exams

Egyptian high school students wear protective face masks as they attend the first day of final exams, amid concerns over the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Cairo, Egypt June 21, 2020.. The health ministry was laying on 2,500 ambulances and providing a doctor for each school. Nearly 670,000 pupils from state and private schools, and 128,000 from religious schools, were due to sit the exams. As in other countries, many coronavirus cases in Egypt are believed to go unreported.. Long-dreaded virus increase hits Iraq as new cases soar /node/1693361/middle-east. The long-dreaded scenario is gripping the country amid a severe economic crisis brought on by plummeting oil prices.. As hospitals overflowed with patients, the Iraqi government announced temporary field hospitals will open throughout Baghdad, where infections are highest, to cope with the exponentially rising number of virus patients.. Doctors said the Health Ministry relies heavily on rapid blood tests to identify the first signs of infection.. All of the health workers interviewed said they'd purchased their own protective equipment because hospital supplies were running low.. The ministry is also unable to make new hires, which are essential to cope with the rising number of cases..