عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Egyptian-British Cooperation to Provide COVID-19 Vaccine

Egyptian health minister during her meeting with British Ambassador to Cairo on Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2020. (Facebook)
Egyptian health minister during her meeting with British Ambassador to Cairo on Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2020. (Facebook)
TT
TT

Egyptian-British Cooperation to Provide COVID-19 Vaccine

Egyptian health minister during her meeting with British Ambassador to Cairo on Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2020. (Facebook)
Egyptian health minister during her meeting with British Ambassador to Cairo on Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2020. (Facebook)

Egypt has discussed cooperation with Britain to provide a coronavirus vaccine once proven effective.

Egypt’s Health Minister Hala Zayed received on Wednesday British Ambassador to Cairo Geoffrey Adams.

During the meeting, the minister stressed the importance of cooperation with various world countries and international companies to provide a safe and effective vaccine for the virus.

She noted that news about giving the first British citizen COVID-19 vaccine is a sign of hope for all world countries, affirming Cairo’s commitment to the fair distribution of the vaccine once proven effective.

Zayed further pointed to her country’s cooperation with the Global Vaccine Alliance (Gavi) through the World Health Organization’s COVAX initiative to ensure safe and fair distribution of COVID-19 vaccine to all world countries.

Adams, for his part, welcomed the cooperation with Cairo to provide a vaccine, stressing his embassy’s keenness to encourage bilateral cooperation in the health field.

According to the latest statement by Egypt’s Health Ministry, the country has recorded 434 new COVID-19 cases and 23 deaths, raising the infection tally until Tuesday to 119, 281 cases, including 103,913 recoveries and 6,813 deaths.

Meanwhile, Dr. Hossam Hosny, head of the Anti-Coronavirus Scientific Committee at the Health Ministry, announced his country has updated its treatment protocol to include more new effective drugs.

The new protocol also includes new criteria to divide the cases, as well as risk factors for cases infected with the virus and an upgrade for oxygen support systems to reduce dependence on ventilators, Hosny explained.

He noted in remarks on Tuesday that the treatment protocol is unified and has been used in all hospitals, stressing the importance of abiding by the preventive measures to limit the spread of the virus and avoid extra cases.

Separately, presidential spokesman Bassam Rady said President Abdel Fattah El Sisi’s visit to Paris has included discussions on joint efforts between relevant sectors to combat the novel coronavirus.

In televised statements on Tuesday, Rady explained that Egypt has been able to manage between resuming its economic activities while maintaining preventive measures to preserve its citizens’ health.

He said both countries will soon exchange their expertise in fighting the virus.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

After US Exemption, UN Says More Significant Syria Sanctions Work Needed

A general view shows Damascus from Mount Qasioun, after one month since the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, January 7, 2025. (Reuters)
A general view shows Damascus from Mount Qasioun, after one month since the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, January 7, 2025. (Reuters)
TT
TT

After US Exemption, UN Says More Significant Syria Sanctions Work Needed

A general view shows Damascus from Mount Qasioun, after one month since the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, January 7, 2025. (Reuters)
A general view shows Damascus from Mount Qasioun, after one month since the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, January 7, 2025. (Reuters)

A US sanctions exemption for transactions with governing institutions in Syria is welcome, but "much more significant work ... will inevitably be necessary," the UN special envoy on Syria, Geir Pedersen, told the Security Council on Wednesday.

After 13 years of civil war, Syria's President Bashar al-Assad was ousted in a lightening offensive by opposition forces led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group a month ago.

The US, Britain, the European Union and others imposed tough sanctions on Syria after a crackdown by Assad on pro-democracy protests in 2011 that spiraled into war. But the new reality in Syria has been further complicated by sanctions on HTS - and some leaders - for its days as an al-Qaeda affiliate.

"I welcome the recent issuance of a new temporary General License by the United States government. But much more significant work in fully addressing sanctions and designations will inevitably be necessary," Pedersen told the council.

The US on Monday issued a sanctions exemption, known as a general license, for transactions with governing institutions in Syria for six months in an effort to ease the flow of humanitarian assistance and allow some energy transactions.

"The United States welcomes positive messages from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, but will ultimately look for progress in actions, not words," deputy US Ambassador to the UN Dorothy Camille Shea told the Security Council.

The foreign ministry in Damascus on Wednesday welcomed the US move and called for a full lifting of restrictions to support Syria's recovery.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said earlier on Wednesday that European Union sanctions on Syria that obstruct the delivery of humanitarian aid and hinder the country's recovery could be lifted swiftly.

Russia's UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia criticized the sanctions imposed on Syria by Washington and others, adding: "As a result, the Syrian economy is under extreme pressure and is not able to cope with the challenges facing the country." Russia was an Assad ally throughout the war.

'END THE SUFFERING'

Formerly known as Nusra Front, HTS was al-Qaeda's official wing in Syria until breaking ties in 2016. Along with unilateral measures, the group has also been on the UN Security Council al-Qaeda and ISIS sanctions list for more than a decade, subjected to a global assets freeze and arms embargo.

There are no UN sanctions on Syria over the civil war.

Syria's UN Ambassador Koussay Aldahhak was appointed a year ago by Assad's government but told the council on Wednesday that he was speaking for the caretaker authorities.

"It is high time to end the suffering, to enable Syrians to live in security and prosperity, to live a dignified life in their country, to build a better future for their country," Aldahhak said.

"For this reason, we call upon the United Nations and its member states to immediately and fully lift the unilateral coercive measures to provide the necessary financing to meet humanitarian needs and recover basic services," he said.

Pedersen said he is seeking to work with the caretaker authorities in Syria "on how the nascent and important ideas and steps so far articulated and initiated could be developed towards a credible and inclusive political transition."

Pedersen said attacks on Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity must stop, specifically calling out Israel.

As Assad's government crumbled towards the end of last year, Israel launched a series of strikes against Syrian military infrastructure and weapons manufacturing sites to prevent them falling into the hands of enemies.

"Reports of the IDF using live ammunition against civilians, displacement and destruction of civilian infrastructure are also very worrying," Pedersen said. "Such violations, along with Israeli airstrikes in other parts of Syria – reported even last week in Aleppo – could further jeopardize the prospects for an orderly political transition."