Egypt won’t administer any coronavirus vaccine until 100% sure of safety, efficacy: Presidential health adviser

  • Date: 16-Dec-2020
  • Source: Ahram
  • Sector:Healthcare
  • Country:Egypt
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Egypt won’t administer any coronavirus vaccine until 100% sure of safety, efficacy: Presidential health adviser

Egypt will not administer any coronavirus vaccine until it is 100 per cent sure of their safety and efficacy, stressed Mohamed Awad Tag El-Din, the presidential adviser for health affairs, on Tuesday.

The government's medical and scientific committees will first examine the vaccines before approving them, he explained.

Tag El-Din made the statement during a press conference held at El-Itihadeyah Presidential Palace at a time when the public remains hesitant about receiving a coronavirus vaccine.

Egypt received a first batch of coronavirus vaccines from the Chinese state-owned pharmaceutical giant Sinopharm on 10 December.

The Egyptian health ministry said it would be available to the public free of charge.

Minister of Health Hala Zayed, who herself received two doses of Sinopharm's vaccine in November during its phase three clinical trials carried out in Egypt, said that the Sinopharm vaccine has proven 86 per cent efficacious against coronavirus, 99 per cent efficacious in producing antibodies, and 100 per cent effective in patients suffering from moderate to severe symptoms.

Zayed also announced that more batches of the Chinese vaccine -- which has been approved for mass vaccination in various countries including China, the UAE, and Bahrain -- would reach Egypt from