Egypt signs two agreements with China to produce COVID-19 vaccine

Egypt has signed two agreements with China to produce the Chinese COVID-19 vaccine locally.

On 21 April, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly witnessed the signing ceremony of between Egypt’s vaccine and sera producing facility VACSERA and China’s Sinovac biopharmaceutical company. Attending the signing ceremony were Egypt’s Health Minister Hala Zayed, Egypt’s ambassador to Beijing Mohamed al-Badry and China’s ambassador to Cairo Liao Liqiang. The top officials of Sinovac and VACSERA signed the agreements.

According to Dr Zayed, the first agreement stipulates that Sinovac provides VACSERA with the know-how and technical assistance for manufacturing the COVID-19 vaccine in Egypt, whereas through the second Sinovac gives VACSERA the license to manufacture, re-pack and pack the COVID-19 vaccine in VACSERA facilities.

Under the agreements, Sinovac may provide the necessary training for VACSERA employees in Egypt or in China.

Earlier this month, Dr Zayed had said that Egypt would be producing the vaccine Sinopharm through coordination between Sinovac and VACSERA. She said two production lines will manufacture the vaccine, one at a 20 million dose per year capacity, the other at 60 million. This would make the vaccine accessible not only to Egypt, but to Arab and African countries as well.