The Egyptian Health and Population Minister Hala Zayed said on Saturday that Egypt’s COVID-19 vaccine campaign will begin during the second or third week of January, with priority given to those with chronic diseases, the elderly, and medical workers.
During a Skype interview with al-Hekaya (the story) show on MBC Masr, Zayed said that the government has identified vaccination sites in all of the country’s 27 governorates.
She pointed out that President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi directed the Armed Forces Engineering Authority to check on these places and ensure their preparedness.
Regarding the availability of doses, the minister confirmed that is has 29 million syringes, and that some vaccines come with include its syringe.
Zayed stated that Egypt secured 40 million doses sufficient for 20 million citizens through GAVI, the global vaccine alliance, funded by the Tahya Misr (Long Live Egypt) Fund.
The Minister added that there are challenges in conducting the vaccination process, not only in Egypt, but throughout the whole world.
Zayed confirmed that there has been an increase in the number of infections over the past two months and she expects the rate of infections to continue to rise during the winter season.
The minister explained that the winter season is always marked by an increase in the number of respiratory diseases.
Finally, Zayed stressed the need to adhere to preventive and precautionary measures to limit the spread of infection with the virus until the peak period of the second wave passes.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
