Egypt’s local production of Sinovac vaccine to begin by end of June

A health worker prepares a dose of Sinovac's CoronaVac coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine. (File/Reuters)

• Centers to provide jabs to Egyptians working abroad
• Egypt is one of the first countries in the world to manufacture the Sinovac vaccine

CAIRO: Egypt’s local production of the first batch of the Chinese Sinovac coronavirus vaccine will start by the end of June, according to Health Minister Hala Zayed.
Khaled Mujahid, the Ministry of Health and Population’s spokesman, said once the production of the first batch is completed, it will be sent to the Egyptian Drug Authority for analysis.
Mujahid said Chinese experts were currently in Egypt to supervise the manufacturing process and transfer expertise to both the Egyptian Holding Co. for Biological Products and Vaccines (VACSERA) and the Egyptian Drug Authority.
He said Egypt is one of the first countries in the world to manufacture the Sinovac vaccine following an agreement reached in April, and stressed clinical trials had been conducted on the jab and that competitive prices were fixed in the agreement.
Sinovac’s efficacy, he added, was 91 percent based on clinical studies conducted in Brazil, Chile, Turkey, Indonesia, China, Hong Kong and the Philippines. Second doses, he said, will be administered 21 days after first doses.
The ministry has allocated more than 400 centers nationwide and urged citizens — especially the elderly and those with chronic diseases — to register to get the jabs.
The government has also approved 179 new facilities to provide doses for those who work abroad and have filed requests for vaccination.
More details about their locations will be shared on the ministry’s website to ease the process. Requests for vaccine certificates for travel are also being addressed.
The ministry announced that mobile medical clinics will be stationed in front of post offices in all governorates to vaccinate pensioners from the first until the 10th of each month.
These clinics are equipped with two data entry points to electronically register pensioners, and devices to check blood pressure and blood sugar before administering the vaccine.