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Egypt expects to produce nearly 18 million doses of Sinovac coronavirus vaccine a month

Egypt expects to produce nearly 18 million doses of Sinovac coronavirus vaccine a month
Locally made Sinovac coronavirus vaccine is expected to range from 15 to 18.5 million doses a month. (Reuters)
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Updated 23 August 2021

Egypt expects to produce nearly 18 million doses of Sinovac coronavirus vaccine a month

Egypt expects to produce nearly 18 million doses of Sinovac coronavirus vaccine a month
  • The country's infection rate is still low but started to increase last week
  • All workers in pre-university education, university employees and university students will be vaccinated before October, health minister said

CAIRO: Egyptian Minister of Health and Population Hala Zayed has anounced that Egypt’s production of the locally made Sinovac coronavirus vaccine is expected to range from 15 to 18.5 million doses a month.

Zayed said that the doses would be released after being approved by the Egyptian Drug Authority.

A large number of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are expected to arrive in Egypt during the coming period, she said in a government statement.

According to the statement, Zayed took part in a meeting that discussed follow-up procedures for vaccinating workers in the education sector as well as vaccination of the rest of citizens.

The health minister reviewed the steps for workers in the ministries of education and higher education to receive their coronavirus vaccines, noting that they would continue to receive the vaccine until next September.

Zayed said that this was part of coordination between the two ministries in preparation for the start of the new academic year. She called on all workers in the pre-university education sector to register to receive the vaccine They would then receive a message specifying the date and place of vaccination within 72 hours of registration.

The ministry was coordinating with the Ministry of Higher Education and university presidents to deliver the vaccine doses needed for workers and students, she said.

Zayed highlighted continuing efforts to vaccinate all workers in ministries, government offices, sectors, bodies and affiliated authorities, in addition to vaccinating citizens in companies, banks, industrial zones, tourist hotels, clubs, ports and other places.

The number of vaccination centers designated for travel had been increased to 145 centers nationwide, in addition to the allocation of three major centers, including the Cairo International Convention Center in Nasr City in Cairo, the Islamic Missions City in Alexandria, and a building at the Academy of Arts in Giza, which can vaccinate about 60,000 travelers a day.

Zayed said that coordination efforts extended to the ministries of manpower, ministry of immigration and Egyptians expatriates affairs to vaccinate travelers for work and educational travel.

She added that other shipments of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses were scheduled to arrive in the coming days to continue vaccinating travelers.

"A center has been allocated to facilitate the vaccination of travelers for the purposes of education, whether at the university or post-university education stage,” she said.