Zayed: Pfizer to Supply Egypt with 20% of its Needs from Coronavirus Vaccine

Egypt's Minister of Health and Population Hala Zayed said on Tuesday that the ministry will get 20% of Egypt's needs from the Coronavirus vaccine produced by Pfizer company, and 30% of the Oxford vaccine.

Zayed added that there are 11 vaccines in their final stages, and Egypt participated in clinical trials of two vaccines.

Zayed said these statements during the press conference held by the Minister about the role of central laboratories within the ministry’s plan to fight Corona virus, according to Akhbar Al-Youm.

The Egyptian Ministry of Health announced Monday that 97 patients recovered from the Corona virus and had left hospitals, after receiving the necessary medical care and recovery according to the guidelines of the World Health Organization, bringing the total of those recovering from the virus to 100,439 cases.

Khaled Megahed, the ministry’s official spokesman, stated that 221 new cases that proved positive for the virus were recorded, as part of the Ministry’s surveillance, investigation and necessary checks, pointing to the death of 12 new cases.

According to the World Health Organization's recommendations issued on May 27, 2020, the disappearance of symptoms for 10 days after infection is an indication of the patient's recovery from the Corona virus.

Megahed stated that the total Corona virus cases registered in Egypt until Monday, is 109,422 cases, including 100,439 cases that have been cured, and 6,380 deaths.

American pharmaceutical company Pfizer and the German biotechnology company Biotech have announced that their Corona virus vaccine is more than 90% effective in preventing Corona contraction, among those who do not have evidence of a previous infection.

For its part, the World Health Organization praised the Pfizer vaccine, indicating that it may change the epidemiological situation of the Corona virus by March 2021, while a senior official in the organization said, according to "Reuters": "The vaccine may be introduced by next March to the most vulnerable groups."

Meanwhile, the CEO of the giant pharmaceutical company, AstraZeneca, had expected that the Oxford vaccine for the Coronavirus may be ready for use at the end of December, pending regulatory approval.