Egypt continues trials to develop coronavirus vaccine: Sisi

CAIRO – 4 June 2020: President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Thursday said Egypt continues its ongoing trials to develop a vaccine for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) as he took part in the virtual Global Vaccines Summit chaired by the United Kingdom, the Egyptian Presidency said.

In a recorded speech, Sisi has expressed the northeastern African country’s keenness, since the beginning of the coronavirus crisis, to extend support to some sisterly countries worldwide, to ease the repercussions of the pandemic.

Sisi said the coronavirus has proven the world’s need for solidarity and quick response to curb the spread of the disease and develop effective vaccines. He also affirmed the importance of providing these vaccines in a just way to everyone worldwide.

Also, the president called on the international community to also focus on other infectious diseases, which the world has previously fought to avoid their spread. He called for providing routine vaccines against other deadly diseases.

The president voiced Egypt’s readiness to transfer its successful experience in applying programs of compulsory vaccinations, which he said have contributed to limiting death and diseases among children.



In February this year, the Egyptian Ministry of Health announced the implementation of the national campaign to vaccinate children against measles and rubella, also known as German measles, in all Egyptian governorates, from March 8 to March 26.

Alaa Eid, a health ministry official, told Egypt Today that the campaign will vaccinate children of ages ranging from 9 months to 10 years in the border governorates, including Aswan, the Red Sea, the New Valley, North Sinai, South Sinai and Matrouh.

Eid said the campaign is preventive and aims to keep the rate of these diseases low in Egypt. He noted that the border provinces are more vulnerable to injury due to geographical closeness to neighboring countries.

Egypt has become free from these viruses, Eid said, adding that cases detected in the country are always people coming from abroad.

Earlier in February, the ministry launched the national anti-polio campaign with an aim to vaccinate 16.5 million children. The campaign includes Egyptian and foreign children from the age of one day to five years old.

An official source told Egypt Today that children should get the vaccination once, adding that it is safe and important for children to be immunized against the disease and that the vaccination will be provided to children under the supervision of the World Health Organization.

In 2018, Egypt entered the final phase of eradicating the disease completely and to ensure that there are no new cases due to any viruses coming from abroad.

The global strategy in polio eradication recommends introducing an additional dose via injection to the dose of oral vaccination in the fourth month, the remaining six doses to remain oral.