HUSHED UP

Egypt Forces Out Reporter Who Exposed Misleading Coronavirus Numbers

Ruth Michaelson reported on a study that estimated that Egypt had underestimated its coronavirus cases by thousands.

Egypt has forced a journalist to leave the country after she reported on a scientific study which suggested that Egypt had a far higher rate of novel coronavirus cases than had been admitted by the government. Ruth Michaelson, who reports for The Guardian, was told last week by western diplomats that Egypt’s security services wanted her to leave immediately after her press accreditation was revoked. That came after she wrote a story about University of Toronto research which said that Egypt likely had many more coronavirus cases than had been officially confirmed. The study estimated that Egypt had somewhere between 6,000 and 19,310 coronavirus cases by early March. The Egyptian government’s official count at the time was that only three people were infected. Michaelson’s press accreditation was revoked two days after the story was published. She fled Egypt after being told by by the British embassy that the country’s security apparatus were seeking to immediately remove her from the country.