Egypt receives first shipment of AstraZeneca vaccine

Health worker prepares a dose of AstraZeneca/Oxford’s Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine on January 29, 2021 [ISHARA S. KODIKARA/AFP via Getty Images]

Egypt received its first 50,000-dose shipment of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine this week as part of its programme to vaccinate health workers, the cabinet said on Tuesday, reports Reuters.

The cabinet was confirming reports in the local media, which had reported that the consignment arrived on Sunday.

State newspaper Al Ahram said Egypt had signed a contract for 20 million AstraZeneca shots from India, although the cabinet statement made no mention of the total order size.

Egypt received its first shipment of vaccines developed by China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm) in December and began vaccinating frontline medical staff against COVID-19 on January 24 using the Chinese jab.

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