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CAIRO, May 21-- Egypt witnessed on Thursday a record 774 single-day new COVID-19 cases, raising the total infections confirmed in the country since mid-February to 15,003, according to the health ministry. It is the third consecutive day for Egypt's COVID-19 daily infections to exceed 700. Meanwhile, 16 patients died from the novel coronavirus in Egypt in the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 696, said Khaled Megahed, the health ministry's spokesman, in a statement. In addition, 223 patients were completely cured and discharged from hospitals on Thursday, increasing the total recoveries to 4,217, Megahed added. Earlier in the day, Egyptian Higher Education Minister Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar explained that the actual number of COVID-19 infections in Egypt could be five times that of confirmed ones. "The actual figure of coronavirus infections in Egypt could be more than 71,000," the minister said in a televised conference attended by President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi. Citing data analysis, Abdel-Ghaffar expected the number of infections to start declining in Egypt from mid-July. Egypt announced its first confirmed COVID-19 infection on Feb. 14 and the first death on March 8, both foreigners. The most populous Arab country is currently implementing a nationwide nine-hour curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. during the ongoing Muslim holy month of Ramadan that ends on May 23. | 
