Egypt reported 145 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, bringing the total case tally to 99,425 since the outbreak began in February.

The health ministry also reported 18 new deaths, giving a total death toll of 5,479.

An additional 789 patients have been discharged after recovering from the virus, bringing the total number of recoveries to 75,415.

Health Minister Hala Zayed said in the cabinet meeting earlier on Thursday that it is important to keep following the precautionary procedures as the last week in August saw an increase in the weekly case tally compared to the week before.

“The weekly COVID-19 infection rate reached 1,137 in the period 22-28 August, having been only 844 the week earlier. This means we must continue taking precautionary measures,” she said.

The minister also said that 84 percent of the hospital beds in the country’s isolation hospitals were empty, while 48 percent of ICU beds are occupied.

She added that 84 percent of the ventilators were not currently in use.

The health minister also told the cabinet that, as part of a project with the World Health Organization (WHO),, 23 doctors from different fields had followed up by phone with 10,186 coronavirus patients in home isolation between July and 27 August.

The ministry also distributed 195,000 medicine and protection supply bags to patients at home.

Zayed said that an analysis of the data of 8,203 patients in 28 isolation and quarantine hospitals showed that the virus targets the respiratory system more than the digestive system, despite some recent claims to the contrary.