Egypt begins vaccinating the elderly and people with chronic diseases with the Corona vaccine
An Egyptian citizen receives vaccination at a center in Cairo.
EPA
Yesterday, the health authorities began vaccinating the elderly and those with chronic diseases with the Corona virus, several weeks after the start of vaccinating medical workers.
The Egyptian Cabinet said in a statement that about 153,000 people have applied for vaccination since last Sunday, when the government made it possible to register applications online.
Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said that Egypt, whose population exceeds 100 million, has prepared 40 vaccination centers, and that it intends to increase the number after the arrival of additional batches of vaccines.
Egypt has received 350 thousand doses of the vaccine developed by the Chinese company "Sinopharma", in two batches, since December, in addition to 50 thousand doses of the "AstraZeneca" vaccine last February.
Egypt hopes to obtain a quantity of vaccines from the global Kovacs initiative, which aims at equitable distribution of the vaccine, in the coming weeks.
On February 24, the Egyptian Medicines Authority said that it had approved the Russian "Sputnik-V" vaccine for emergency use.
The Egyptian company, Prime Speed Medical, said it had obtained the right to provide the Russian vaccine in Egypt, but it did not provide details.
Egypt began vaccinating frontline workers in the medical sector on January 24th, with the Chinese vaccine.
The Minister of Health, Hala Zayed, said that those who received the Chinese vaccine will receive a second dose after 21 days, and that those who received the "AstraZeneca" vaccine will wait 12 weeks to receive the second dose.
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