Egypt Starts Clinical Trials of its Coronavirus Vaccine CoviVacc

On Sunday, the Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA) announced the start of clinical trials for CoviVacc, the country’s first coronavirus vaccine.

In a statement, the authority confirmed that the vaccine is a fruitful outcome of cooperation between the National Research Center and Vaccine Valley Company.

News media earlier this year reported on Egypt’s plans to manufacture its own vaccine, but further official information about the vaccine has not been issued.

Egypt has locally produced millions of doses of the Chinese Sinovac coronavirus vaccine since mid-2021 in its VACSERA factories in Giza’s Sixth of October City.

The country has also imported doses of all types of vaccines used worldwide, including Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Pfizer, Sputnik V, AstraZeneca, and Sinovac.

Egypt seeks to vaccinate 40 percent of the population by the end of the year as part of its vaccination campaign that started in January.

So far, around 25 million citizens have received the coronavirus vaccine nationwide, according to health officials earlier this month.