CAIRO: The Egyptian health ministry warned citizens against going to crowded places such as malls and shops due to the risk of infection of coronavirus. In a statement, the ministry advised people to maintain social distancing of not less than one meter between each other, according to a report by the Egypt Independent. A member of the ministry also encouraged citizens who have not been vaccinated yet to receive the coronavirus jab, because Egypt is witnessing the fifth wave of the coronavirus pandemic, officials said. Noha Assem said every person who receives the vaccine “increases herd immunity in the country, and currently 46 percent of the world’s population has received the two doses of the vaccine, and 56 percent have received one dose.” Assem added: “The fourth reason for the importance of receiving the vaccine at the current stage is to reduce the possibility of new mutations of the virus. “The higher the rates of receiving the vaccine, the lower the chances of the emergence of new mutations in the future, and therefore receiving the vaccine has become a priority,” the report quoted her as saying.