Cairo: Egypt Thursday started vaccinating the elderly and people with chronic diseases against COVID-19, more than a month after inoculating medical workers.
Prime Minister Mustafa Madbuli attended the launch of the vaccination for the old people at a medical centre in the area of Al Qatamiya in Cairo.
He said that Egyptian authorities are endeavouring to provide the largest possible quantities of vaccines against COVID-19 after their approval in Egypt. “The numbers of citizens receiving the vaccine will increase in the coming period,” he added in media remarks.
On Sunday, authorities opened online registration for the people with chronic diseases and the elderly to receive the vaccine against coronavirus as part of the priority categories. Around 152,892 people have registered so far, Health Minister Dr Hala Zayed said Thursday.
The minister added that 40 centres have been designated across Egypt to provide vaccination for the target categories. "The number of these centres will increase gradually according to the flow in vaccine supplies to Egypt," she added.
Dr Zayed said that Egypt was the first African country to initiate vaccinations against COVID-19 in January.
On January 24, Egypt began inoculating health workers at quarantine and fever hospitals. The country has already received a total of 400,000 doses of the Sinopharm and AstraZeneca vaccines. Officials said that Egypt has contracted obtaining 100 million doses.
Egypt, a country of over 100 million people, so far has reported a tally of 184,168 coronavirus cases and 10,822 related fatalities.
