Egypt to begin giving vaccinations to the elderly and the most vulnerable people

Older people and those with chronic illnesses will be registered to receive coronavirus vaccines next week, Egypt’s health minister said.

Hala Zayed said the vaccine would be given at 40 locations across the country’s 27 provinces. The number of these centres will gradually increase, she said.

Egypt began its vaccination drive on January 24, but only for medical workers dealing with Covid-19 patients.

On Tuesday, Ms Zayed said people would be able to register on a ministry website that would also allow users to upload documents relevant to their condition.

She said those unable to access the website could register in person at their nearest hospital.

The minister, who has been the face of Egypt’s battle against the pandemic, was speaking hours after Egypt received 300,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine from China.

Egypt received its first batch of the Sinopharm vaccine in December and another 50,000 shortly after. Last month, it received 50,000 Oxford-AstraZeneca doses.

Cairo expects to receive 40 million Sinopharm doses and 20 million Astra-Zeneca doses, in addition to a further 40 million doses through the Gavi Vaccine Alliance, including two large shipments expected by the end of February, according to the health ministry.

The precise number of Egyptians who have contracted or died of Covid-19 is unknown, mainly because of limited testing and because many treat themselves outside the state health sector. Others die without having Covid-19 diagnosed.

The latest health ministry figures show 179,407 cases since the pandemic began a year ago. They also show a death toll of 10,443 over the same period.

However, officials and experts are saying the actual number could be as many as 10 times the ministry’s figures.

President Abdel Fattah El Sisi has repeatedly addressed the pandemic in public comments, the latest of which suggested that following preventive measures like social distancing and wearing masks in public was the best defence against the virus.

Last year, the authorities ordered a lockdown from March to July to contain the pandemic, but they have no intention of repeating those measures, saying that another lockdown could lead to an economic meltdown, complete with a mass loss of jobs.

Pro-government commentators, meanwhile, have been saying that Egyptians appear to have learnt to live with the coronavirus and claimed that the vast majority were not impatient or keen to be vaccinated.