CAIRO, Dec 12 (NNN-MENA) – Egypt received the first batch of Chinese anti-COVID-19 vaccine late on Thursday, to help fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s a historic day to receive the first air shipments of the Chinese anti-COVID-19 vaccine,” said Egyptian Minister of Health, Hala Zayed, in a press conference held at the Cairo International Airport.
“The Chinese vaccine will be available for citizens for free, upon directives of the leadership,” she added.
The priority of distributing the vaccine would be given to medical staff in isolation hospitals, people with chronic diseases, like cancer and kidney failure, and the elderly, Zayed noted.
According to her, the batch of the vaccine, developed by China’s state-owned Sinopharm pharmaceutical firm, came from the United Arab Emirates.
On Dec 9, the UAE announced the official registration of a COVID-19 vaccine, developed by the China National Pharmaceutical Group, or Sinopharm.
The UAE’s Ministry of Health and Prevention, said in a statement that, the interim analysis of the phase III trials shows, the Chinese vaccine provides 86 percent efficacy against COVID-19 infection.
According to the statement, the analysis also shows the vaccine to have 99 percent seroconversion rate of neutralising antibody and 100 percent effectiveness in preventing moderate and severe cases of the disease. Furthermore, the analysis shows no serious safety concerns.– NNN-MENA
