5M additional Egyptian-made Sinovac doses to be available in September

CAIRO – 19 August 2021: Consultant to Minister of Health and Population for Research Noha Assem stated in a TV interview Wednesday that additional five million Sinovac doses will be available at vaccination centers starting September.

In July, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli announced that Egypt had produced one million doses of Sinovac vaccine at the factories of the Egyptian Holding Company for Biological Products and Vaccines (VACSERA).

Madbouli added that Egypt’s daily production for COVID-19 vaccines currently was 300,000 doses, and that the government was discussing with China doubling the raw materials exported to the country to raise its daily production to 600,000 doses.

The plan was producing 40 million doses in 2021, and eyes raising the figure to 80 million.

Spokesperson of the Cabinet Nader Saad stated Monday in a phone-in that only five percent of the population (five million) got the first shot of anti-COVID-19 vaccine, and that the government targets vaccinating 40 percent (40 million) by the end of the year.

Saad elaborated that, in addition to prioritizing senior citizens and those suffering from chronic diseases, there is also a priority to vaccinate school teachers as well as university students and faculty.

The official added that at some point vaccination may become mandatory among all those who are part of the educational process at the tertiary education level.

The vaccines that have been available in Egypt are AstraZeneca, Sinovac, Sinopharm, Sputnic V, and Johnson and Johnson.