<p>CAIRO — Egypt’s national team coach has tested positive for the coronavirus, the country’s soccer association announced Saturday.</p>
<p>Hossam el-Badry was diagnosed with COVID-19 after his daughter tested positive earlier this month, the Egyptian Football Association said in a statement. He has been isolated at his home, it said.</p>
<p>Egypt secured a spot last month in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations and is hoping to reach the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar. The record seven-time African champions would play in Group F along with Gabon, Angola and Libya.</p>
<p>The 61-year-old el-Badry, who was appointed to lead Egypt’s national team in 2019, is the latest player or coach on the national team to test positive for the virus.</p>
<p>Mohamed Elshenawy, goalkeeper of the national team and Cairo’s Al-Ahly soccer club, tested positive earlier this month and missed a game against archrival Zamalek in the local league.</p>
<p>In November, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/mohamed-salah-international-soccer-togo-health-cairo-4baf9d8754e1b4cb49ff8cd6ed5e26c1">Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah tested positive</a> after he traveled to Cairo to play in Egypt’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Togo.</p>
<p>At the time, Salah attended his brother’s wedding and was seen — sometimes without a face mask — dancing among dozens of people.</p>
<p>In recent weeks, Egypt has seen a “slight but continual” spike in confirmed coronavirus cases. Health Minister Hala Zayed said Saturday that authorities have registered a weekly increase of up to 10% in some areas amid a third wave of the pandemic. She did not provide specific numbers.</p>
<p>Egypt, the Arab world’s most populous country with over 100 million people, has reported at least 221,570 confirmed cases, including some 13,000 deaths. However, the actual numbers of COVID-19 cases, like elsewhere in the world, are thought to be far higher, in part due to limited testing.</p>
