Egypt began vaccinating frontline medical staff against COVID-19 on Sunday using the jab developed by China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm). The vaccine will be provided free of charge first to all doctors and frontline workers treating coronavirus patients, then to other medical workers, senior citizens and people with chronic illnesses, Health Minister Hala Zayed said. Egypt has recorded a total of 161,143 cases, including 8,902 deaths, since the pandemic started. Health officials say the real number of infections is likely far higher because of the relatively low rate of coronavirus testing and exclusion of private test results from official figures. Zayed previously said Egypt was expecting 40 million doses via the GAVI vaccine alliance, covering 20 million of the country’s 100 million population. She said on Sunday the country had secured an additional 40 million vials from one company and 20 million from another, without specifying their origin but bringing the total to 100 million doses.
SOURCE: REUTERS