Egypt’s health ministry said it registered 12 people carrying the coronavirus on a Nile cruise ship heading to the southern city of Aswan from Luxor, state television reported on Friday.
The country had until now diagnosed three people with the virus, one of whom it said had fully recovered after receiving treatment.
Health ministry spokesman Khaled Megahed said the detection came after information from WHO that a Taiwanese-American tourist, who was on board the cruise, had tested positive after returning home.
Megahed said the ministry has followed up on medical conditions of those who were in contact with the tourist over the past fourteen days and they did not show any symptoms.
However, the 12 cases, all Egyptian workers on the ship, tested positive after a PCR test was carried out following the conclusion of the 14-day incubation period.
The 12 cases have been referred to an isolation hospital, with others believed to be in contact with them currently placed in quarantine for 14 days, to follow up on their health conditions.
Friday’s announcement comes one day after Egypt announced the first confirmed case in the country of an Egyptian, a recent returnee from Europe.
The two previous cases were both foreign nationals; one has since recovered.
John Jabbour, the WHO representative in Egypt, said the detection of the cases confirms the efficiency of Egypt’s preventive plan to combat the disease and deal with infected cases following their detection.
He praised Egypt’s transparency and fast response in notifying the WHO about the cases, the statement said.