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Egypt aims to vaccinate 40% of population by end of 2021, says official

June 4, 2021 at 1:17 pm

An Egyptian medical worker holds a bottle of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine (Covishield) on 4 March 2021 in Cairo, Egypt [KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images]

Egypt is planning to vaccinate 40 per cent of its population against coronavirus by the end of 2021, the Presidential Adviser for Health and Prevention Affairs, Mohamed Awad Taj El-Din, announced yesterday.

“Forty per cent of the Egyptian population constitutes the most vulnerable citizens to the virus infection, who either have chronic diseases or are over 60 years of age,” Taj El-Din told reporters.

The official pointed out that “2.5 million Egyptians have so far been vaccinated,” describing the vaccination plans as a “national goal”.

Prime Minister, Mostafa Madbouly, recently said: “2.5 million Egyptians have been vaccinated from a total of six million people who had signed up on the government’s registration platform.” He added that the first batch of the locally-produced vaccines would be ready “in July”.

READ: Egypt on the brink as third covid wave engulfs the country 

Yesterday Egypt registered 42 deaths and 951 new covid infections, bringing the total number of those killed by the disease in the country to 15,178, and the total number of infections to 264,557.

Activists have said the actual number of cases and deaths is much higher, amid accusations of a government cover up.

Since the start of the pandemic doctors have tried to speak out about the lack of adequate PPE and chronic problems with hospitals and outdated equipment.

In one of the most horrific public examples of this since the start of the pandemic, in January an entire ICU ward died after the oxygen supply failed.

There was neither enough oxygen nor enough pressure to save the patients’ lives.