854,400 doses of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine landed at Cairo Airport on Wednesday, as part of the COVAX program in cooperation with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the World Health Organization, and UNICEF, Health Minister Hala Zayed announced.
The doses are the first batch of 40 million doses that Egypt has signed for.
Health Ministry spokesperson Khaled Megahed explained that the AstraZeneca vaccine has obtained emergency use approval from both the World Health Organization and the Egyptian Drug Authority, pointing out that the doses will be subjected to analysis in the Egyptian Drug Authority laboratories before it makes its way to vaccination centers.
Megahed added that anyone who receives the AstraZeneca vaccine as their first dose will receive their second dose exactly three months later.
Currently, vaccines are available for healthcare workers, the elderly, and individuals with chronic illness.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
