- Title: Egypt to intensify vaccination ahead of a fourth COVID-19 wave
- Date: 23rd August 2021
- Summary: CAIRO, EGYPT (AUGUST 23, 2021) (REUTERS) VARIOUS EXTERIORS OF BUILDING WITH SIGN READING (Arabic/English): "PRINCESS FATIMA ACADEMY FOR PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL EDUCATION" EGYPTIAN HEALTH MINISTER, HALA ZAYED, WALKING TO PODIUM TO START NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) EGYPTIAN MINISTER OF HEALTH, HALA ZAYED, SAYING: "We coordinated with Egyptian universities and gained access of their databases so that two categories of people can be vaccinated: students, because 100 percent of students should be vaccinated before the start of the academic year in October, and all staff working in universities and the supporting staff, even security personnel, housekeeping, maintenance, or anyone who works at universities." FLAG READING (Arabic/English): "MINISTRY OF HEALTH" (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) EGYPTIAN MINISTER OF HEALTH, HALA ZAYED, SAYING: "So far, 10 million people registered on the ministry's website for vaccination, 7.5 million of whom got a message to get the vaccine and are actually vaccinated. Some with two doses." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) EGYPTIAN MINISTER OF HEALTH, HALA ZAYED, SAYING: "We will receive 5.2 million doses of Pfizer-Moderna vaccine in September. Those expected to travel abroad and are not yet vaccinated can take the Pfizer-Moderna and AstraZeneca vaccines. But they (those travelling for tourism purposes) will not be given priority over those who have not been vaccinated at all." EGYPTIAN FLAG PRESS CONFERENCE ENDS
- Embargoed: 6th September 2021 14:19
- Keywords: Coronavirus Egypt Government Employees Pandemic Sinovac Students Vaccinations Vaccine
- Location: CAIRO, EGYPT
- City: CAIRO, EGYPT
- Country: Egypt
- Topics: Health/Medicine,Middle East
- Reuters ID: LVA001ERI3L91
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Egypt will vaccinate all 4.5 million of its state employees against COVID-19 in August and September as it seeks to accelerate vaccinations ahead of a likely fourth wave of infections, the health minister said on Monday (August 23).
The country's infection rate is still low but started to increase last week and the upward curve is expected to continue for a while, Hala Zayed told a briefing, adding that a significant increase is expected in late September.
As part of the programme, all workers in pre-university education, university employees and university students - a total of more than 5 million people - will be vaccinated before the start of the academic year in October, she said.
So far, about 10 million people out of Egypt's population of just over 100 million have registered online to get vaccinated and nearly 7.5 million have received at least one dose, Zayed said.
Egypt has received millions of doses of COVID-19 vaccines produced by AstraZeneca, Sinopharm, Sinovac, Sputnik, and Johnson & Johnson.
It has also produced 15 million doses of Sinovac's vaccine locally, Zayed said, and will receive about 5.2 million doses produced by Pfizer and Moderna in September.
"We will receive 5.2 million doses of Pfizer-Moderna vaccine in September. Those expected to travel abroad and are not yet vaccinated can take the Pfizer-Moderna and AstraZeneca vaccines. But they (those travelling for tourism purposes) will not be given priority over those who have not been vaccinated at all." she said.
The country plans to have 800 vaccine centres running by the end of August, up from 657 currently.
Egypt has recorded 286,352 COVID-19 infections as of Sunday, including 16,674 deaths. However, officials and experts say the real number of infections is far higher but is not reflected in government figures because of low coronavirus testing rates and the exclusion of private test results.
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