1.6 million Pfizer vaccine doses coming to Egypt as gift: US Embassy

CAIRO – 30 September 2021: The US Embassy in Cairo said on Thursday a shipment of 1.6 million Pfizer vaccine doses is making its way to Egypt as a gift from the US government to the Egyptian people.

The doses come as “part of our commitment to defeat the pandemic,” the embassy said in a tweet.

🇺🇸🤝🇪🇬 The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine shipment is making its way to Egypt! These 1.6 million Pfizer vaccine doses are a gift from the U.S. Government to the people of Egypt and are part of our commitment to defeat the pandemic. @UNICEF_Egypt @mohpegypt @WHOEgypt pic.twitter.com/HpQcUmLb2K

— U.S. Embassy Cairo (@USEmbassyCairo) September 30, 2021

Egypt’s Health Minister Hala Zayed said the country has received a total of 33.657 million doses of AstraZeneca, Sinovac, Sinopharm, Sputnik V and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.

Egypt also plans to release 1.926 million doses of the locally-made Sinovac vaccine between 18 to 24 September, the minister said in a Cabinet meeting earlier this month.

Zayed reviewed the ongoing preparations to receive the first shipment of the Pfizer vaccine in a number of governorates, noting that the total storage capacity in the governorates have reached 4.366 million.

The minister said the ministry has purchased and distributed 600 refrigerators to expand the preparations to receive the vaccine doses.

The number of vaccination centers nationwide has reached 830, the minister said, including the offices allocated for travel purpose, Zayed added.

Concerning Egypt’s “Maan Natmaen” (translated as together we rest assured) campaign that encourages citizens in the governorates to be vaccinated.

During this period, tens of thousands of citizens have been registered on the ministry’s vaccination website, according to Zayed.

Egypt’s vaccination campaign has started in January using various types of imported vaccines and vaccinating millions of citizens.

Egypt has also locally manufactured millions of the Sinovac vaccine doses to cover its needs and export doses to other African countries.

This comes within the state’s plan to vaccinate 40 percent of the population (around 40 million citizens) by the end of the year.