The Minister of Health and Population Hala Zayed announced Saturday that Egypt has received 1,611,090 doses of the Pfizer vaccine at the Cairo International Airport provided by the US government through the COVAX initiative in cooperation with Gavi, the vaccine alliance.
A statement by the Health and Population Ministry said that the shipment will be distributed to the 1,100 vaccination centers across Egypt.
This follows the first shipment of Pfizer vaccines, 1,612,260 doses, received in September.
The US embassy said in a statement that Saturday’s delivery is part of a grand total of over eight million Pfizer vaccine doses.
US Ambassador Jonathan R. Cohen and USAID Mission Director Leslie Reed welcomed the arrival of the second shipment.
At the arrival ceremony, Ambassador Cohen said, “I am so pleased to celebrate the arrival of this vaccine shipment, a direct donation of 1.6 million doses of Pfizer from the people of the United States to the people of Egypt. This is part of eight million Pfizer vaccine doses the United States is sending to Egypt.”
“Our governments and people have been working side-by-side, every day, to fight Coronavirus. Today’s vaccine donation underscores our continuing commitment to support Egypt through this global health crisis,” Cohen said.
The WHO’s representative in Egypt Naeema al-Gasseer said: “WHO praises the generous and timely contribution made by the American government and the American people to support Egypt in its battle against COVID-19. This contribution makes Egypt more step forward towards vaccinating 40% of its population by the end of 2021 as targeted by the WHO, we are confirming that no country can vaccinate its way out of this pandemic in isolation from the rest of the world, when we unite together to end the vaccine inequity, we will be able to halt the pandemic, stop transmission, save lives and overcome the social and economic turmoil.”
“UNICEF is grateful to the Government and people of the United States for their continued support to COVID-19 response and lifesaving vaccination in Egypt. This support is critical and timely. UNICEF is glad to support the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population in the development of the ultra-cold chain needed to ensure the conservation and distribution of the vaccines. I would like to extend our gratitude to partners and donors within COVAX who made this possible, so that more vaccines can be stored at ultra-low temperature while preserving their potency to protect the people of Egypt from COVID-19”, said UNICEF Representative in Egypt, Jeremy Hopkins.
The US’s cooperation with Egypt in fighting the pandemic is wide-ranging.
Through USAID, the US has provided more than US$50 million to support Egypt’s coronavirus response, reaching nearly 18 million people with needed health and economic support.
The USAID programs train health care workers, improve tracking of and response to the pandemic, provide food assistance to families affected by the pandemic, and support small businesses. This support builds on more than $1 billion in U.S. government investment over the past 40 years to improve the health of all Egyptians.
