COVID-19 vaccination centres set up in metro stations in Cairo have gone into operation. According to Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar, Minister of Higher Education and Acting Minister of Health, these centres were set up in coordination with the Ministry of Transport, and are the outcome of the Health Ministry vaccination campaign “Together we can feel safe … Apply now”, which was launched last September.
Dr Abdel-Ghaffar said that there was high demand on the vaccine; some 500 individuals were vaccinated at the two centres set up in the Sadat metro station in central Cairo during the first few hours once they opened.
The Acting Minister of Health said that work is ongoing to set up 14 vaccination centres, six in the three main stations, and eight in eight stations densely frequented by commuters. He said that 97 points have been located in metro stations to register applications for vaccination by those who have not yet applied for the vaccine; they will be directed to the nearest vaccination centre. He said announcements will be made in the metro stations to call on the unvaccinated to get the vaccine in the vaccination centres in the station.
The upcoming days, Dr Abdel-Ghaffar said, will see vaccination centres set up in train stations across the country, also in shopping malls.
The Health Ministry vaccination campaign “Together we can feel safe … Apply now” launched last September aims to reach the largest number of Egyptians in order to facilitate access to the vaccine. This comes within the government plan to vaccinate 40 per cent of the targeted groups before yearend, and to raise awareness among Egyptians of the importance of vaccination.
According to Health Ministry figures of last September at the time the campaign was launched, some 13.4 million doses of coronavirus vaccines had been administered to Egyptians, and some 617,000 QR-coded certificates issued for people planning to travel.
Last May and June, those working in the tourism sector nationwide were vaccinated, in order to ensure safe tourism.
In September, all staff and workers in the education field and those in auxiliary jobs in schools and universities were vaccinated; their number amounted to 3 million persons, according to the Health Ministry. This was in accordance with an agreement with the ministers of education and higher education, to ensure a safe on-campus school year; no unvaccinated person is allowed on school premises.
Egypt has received millions of doses of COVID-19 vaccines, including Sinopharm, AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Sputnik, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson, with the help of WHO and COVAX.
With regard to the local manufacturing of COVID-19 vaccine, Health Minister Hala Zayed last September said that 5 million doses had been manufactured by Egypt’s VACSERA, noting that 2 million doses of vaccine would be produced weekly. An additional vaccine production line in Giza is starting operation in November, with a production capacity of 300,000 doses a day.
The most recent daily figures of COVID-19
detected by the Health Ministry in Egypt has been 909 cases and 57 deaths. This brings the tally to 342,097 cases among whom 286,384 recovered, and 19,366 died.
Watani International
14 November 2021