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Egypt Seeks to Manufacture COVID-19 Vaccines for Africa, Middle East

The Egyptian cabinet holding a meeting to follow up on the developments of the pandemic (Facebook)
The Egyptian cabinet holding a meeting to follow up on the developments of the pandemic (Facebook)
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Egypt Seeks to Manufacture COVID-19 Vaccines for Africa, Middle East

The Egyptian cabinet holding a meeting to follow up on the developments of the pandemic (Facebook)
The Egyptian cabinet holding a meeting to follow up on the developments of the pandemic (Facebook)

Egypt affirmed readiness to provide Africa and the Middle East with coronavirus vaccines as soon as manufacturing kicks off.

Egyptian Minister of Health and Population Hala Zayed revealed that work is underway to make Egypt a hub for manufacturing vaccines for Africa and the Middle East in the coming period.

This came in remarks she made on Thursday during a videoconference meeting of the Bureau of the Assembly of African Union Heads of State and Government and heads of regional economic assemblies.

According to Zayed, Cairo wants to join the COVID-19 African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team (AVATT).

The AVATT initiative aims to accelerate African participation in the vaccine’s clinical development, overcome all financing-linked challenges to provide vaccines to eligible groups and support African countries’ capacities to produce and distribute the vaccine among citizens.

She highlighted the importance of cooperation among all African countries to bolster the maximum benefit from the initiative.

Egypt has participated with other world countries in clinical trials as part of a research package into the clinical trial in its third phase of the emerging coronavirus vaccine in cooperation with the Chinese government and the UAE G42 Healthcare Company, the minister stated.

She said partnership among countries had become a reason for creating one of the virus’s effective vaccines, calling for solidarity among all countries of the African continent at this difficult time to overcome the crisis.

Zayed further pointed to the importance of maximizing the benefit from the African Medicine Agency Treaty, saying that it allows African countries to use emergency registration of vaccines, adopt a policy of optimal use of vaccines, move vaccine surpluses to the countries in need the most and exchange expertise among countries in this field.

The health minister affirmed her country’s readiness to freely share its e-system that allows recording and tracking vaccine recipients with countries that cannot set up similar systems.

Also, Zayed noted that the rate of COVID-19 infections has decreased by 11 percent last week in the country.

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Arab World

Four Bodies, Four Survivors Recovered from Egypt Red Sea Sinking, Says Governor

Sea Story had no technical problems, obtained all required permits prior to the trip, and was last checked for naval safety in March. (Red Sea Governorate on Facebook)
Sea Story had no technical problems, obtained all required permits prior to the trip, and was last checked for naval safety in March. (Red Sea Governorate on Facebook)
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Four Bodies, Four Survivors Recovered from Egypt Red Sea Sinking, Says Governor

Sea Story had no technical problems, obtained all required permits prior to the trip, and was last checked for naval safety in March. (Red Sea Governorate on Facebook)
Sea Story had no technical problems, obtained all required permits prior to the trip, and was last checked for naval safety in March. (Red Sea Governorate on Facebook)

Rescuers on Tuesday recovered four bodies and four survivors a day after a diving boat capsized off Egypt's eastern coast, Red Sea governor Amr Hanafi said, with eight people still missing.

Among the survivors were two Belgians, one Swiss national and one Egyptian, the governor said, bringing the total number of survivors from the vessel to 32. The four dead have not yet been identified and eight people remain missing.

"Rescue operations are ongoing today, supported by a military helicopter and a frigate in addition to multiple divers," Hanafi told AFP.

The vessel was carrying 31 tourists of multiple nationalities and a 13-member crew when it was hit by a large wave early on Monday, leading it to capsize near Marsa Alam in southeastern Egypt. The "Sea Story" had embarked on a multi-day diving trip on Sunday and had been due to dock on Friday at the town of Hurghada, 200 kilometres (124 miles) north.

The governor on Monday said the boat had sunk within 5-7 minutes of its impact with the wave, leaving some passengers -- among them European, Chinese and American tourists -- unable to escape their cabins in time.

- Survivors -

Rescuers from the military and a passing tourist boat had pulled 28 people from the waters on Monday. According to a source at a hospital in Marsa Alam, six tourists and three Egyptians were admitted with minor injuries and discharged on Monday.

The tourists included "two Germans, two Britons, one Spaniard and one Swiss national," the hospital administrator told AFP, requesting anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

According to the governor's office, the boat was carrying tourists from Belgium, Britain, China, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland and the United States.

Among the missing are two Polish and two Finnish tourists, according to both countries' foreign ministries.

Authorities have said the vessel was fully licensed and had passed all its inspection checks. A preliminary investigation showed no technical fault.

The Marsa Alam area experienced at least two similar boat accidents earlier this year but there were no fatalities. The Red Sea coast is a major tourist destination in Egypt, a country of 107 million that is in the grip of a serious economic crisis.

Nationally, the tourism sector employs two million people and generates more than 10 percent of its GDP.

Dozens of dive boats crisscross between Red Sea coral reefs and islands off Egypt's eastern coast every day, where safety regulations are robust but unevenly enforced.

Earlier this month, 30 people were rescued from a sinking dive boat near the Red Sea's Daedalus reef. In June, two dozen French tourists were evacuated safely before their boat sank in a similar accident.

Last year, three British tourists died when a fire broke out on their yacht.