Egypt’s Health Ministry, Chinese amb. sign MoU to enhance vaccine cooperation

CAIRO – 31 December 2020: Egypt’s Health Ministry and China’s Ambassador to Cairo Liao Liqiang signed on Thursday a Memorandum of Understanding to enhance cooperation, especially in providing coronavirus vaccine doses.

Health Minister Hala Zayed attended the signing ceremony.

This comes three weeks after Egypt received its first batch of doses of a vaccine developed by China’s Sinopharm, as it arrived at the Cairo International Airport, coming from the UAE.

Zayed affirmed keenness to enhance cooperation with the Chinese side concerning securing doses of coronavirus vaccines. The MoU aims to continue coordination and communication between the two sides in various health fields.

It also seeks to establish a platform to exchange health experience between relevant partners and international institutions in the two countries.

Health Ministry spokesman Khaled Megahed said Zayed conveyed a message of thanks from Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and the Egyptian people to China, for helping Egypt to get coronavirus vaccine doses quickly and supporting Egypt since the beginning of the crisis.

Zayed discussed with the Chinese ambassador the urgent need to send the future batches of doses to Egypt soon.

She affirmed that the scientific committee to fight coronavirus in Egypt has affirmed the efficacy of the vaccine during clinical trials in Egypt.

Sinopharm’s vaccine, according to UAE and Egypt, has an 86 percent efficacy against coronavirus. It has been involved in clinical trials in Egypt over the past few months. Zayed was one of the volunteers.

Zayed earlier said the Chinese vaccine has secured an emergency approval of the World Health Organization, adding that Egypt has signed a deal with the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization to secure the provision of further vaccine doses.

The priority in distributing the vaccine will be given to the medical staff in isolation hospitals, as well as chest and fevers hospitals, she said.

Also, cancer or kidney failure patients, older people and persons suffering from chronic diseases will be prioritized.

The vaccine is injected in the upper arm. It consists of two shots, 21 days apart.

The Chinese vaccine has shown 99 percent efficacy in producing antibodies to the novel virus and 100 percent efficacy in preventing cases from showing moderate or severe symptoms, Megahed said.