CAIRO: The Egyptian Ministry of Health said that it is aiming to vaccinate 250,000 medical staff and eligible citizens against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) by the end of this week.
Khaled Mujahid, assistant minister of health and population, and the official spokesperson of the ministry, said that it is interested in expanding vaccine centers in governorates with high rates of citizens registering for vaccination.
On Saturday, the ministry received a gift of 300,000 doses of the Chinese Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine.
Mujahid said that the shipment was a gift from China.
The Egyptian government has begun to prepare for a third wave of COVID-19 amid a daily increase in the number of new cases.
Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly warned during a meeting of the Supreme Committee for the Management of the Coronavirus Crisis that the number of deaths and hospitalizations could increase dramatically during the coming month of Ramadan.
Head of the central administration for preventive medicine affairs at the Ministry of Health, Mohamed Abdel Fattah, said that there were between 550 to 650 daily cases over the last month, with a slight increase in some governorates.
