CAIRO: Egypt has agreed with GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, to obtain 20 million doses of vaccine for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pending emergency approval from the World Health Organization (WHO).
Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly chaired a meeting to discuss developments at a number of international companies slowly gathering and releasing advanced results of their vaccine trials, and to discuss methods to ensure that Egypt receives adequate doses.
During the meeting, Minister of Health and Population Hala Zayed said that with the GAVI agreement, Egypt would obtain 20 million doses for the most vulnerable people in society, such as medical personnel, those with chronic diseases and the elderly.
She added that it was necessary to define the goals of the vaccination strategy, and accordingly, population groups would be arranged in order of priority to obtain the vaccine in the first phase of availability, in accordance with the guidelines of the WHO.
The WHO has suggested that countries give priority to at-risk population groups, by providing them with available vaccines first, before focusing on the less vulnerable.
The minister said Pfizer, the US pharmaceutical company to have announced its vaccine’s successful results, would file an application for an Emergency Use Permit.
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