Pfizer vaccine to not be administered in Egypt schools due to storage conditions: Health Ministry

CAIRO – 3 November 2021: Schools in Egypt will not receive the BioNTech/Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine due to storage conditions, Health Ministry Spokesman Khaled Megahed said on Wednesday.

“This vaccine has special ways for preservation. Therefore, it will be given to students in its specialized centers,” Megahed said.

The health ministry spokesman said Egypt has obtained a total of eight million Pfizer vaccine doses.

The country has announced that it will allow the vaccination of children who are above 15 years of age to receive the coronavirus vaccine.

Vaccination for those involved in the Egyptian education sector, including staff, teachers, and students above 15 years of age is mandatory as per directives by the Cabinet.

Egypt has started its vaccination campaign in January this year, during which around 25 million citizens have been vaccinated against the novel virus.

The country has received all types of vaccines worldwide, the latest of which was Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson.

Minister of Higher Education and Acting Health Minister Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar told a Cabinet meeting late in October that the country has received 72 million coronavirus vaccine doses and is expected to receive 26 million others soon.