Egypt to obtain 20 M doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine

CAIRO - 3 June 2021: Under directives of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi,  Egypt has signed a contract to buy 20 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine against coronavirus, said Advisor to the President of the Republic for health and prevention affairs Mohamed Awad Taj El-Din in a press conference in the Presidential Palace on Thursday.

 

He added that President Sisi has recommended the necessity of providing the citizens with the vaccine, stressing that 2.5 million citizens have received the vaccine so far as it is stated by the Prime Minister.

 

Taj El-Din continued that President Sisi directed that the citizens with disabilities and could not move to the vaccination centers should receive their shots at homes, noting that workers in tourism and education sectors will be vaccinated.

 

Egypt’s Health Ministry on Wednesday said the Chinese Sinovac vaccine Egypt is working to locally produce has shown 91 percent efficacy on general groups’ examinees, according to clinical studies in seven countries.

 

Health Minister Hala Zayed said Egypt will produce the first batch of the Sinovac vaccine doses by the end of June, after the World Health Organization validated the vaccine for emergency use.

 

VACSERA and Sinovac in April signed two agreements to manufacture the vaccine. VACSERA will manufacture the final product using the ready-made product provided by Sinovac.