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Egypt Receives New AstraZeneca Vaccine Shipment

A man walks in front of a pharmacy amid the coronavirus pandemic in Alexandria, Egypt on December 6, 2020. (Reuters)
A man walks in front of a pharmacy amid the coronavirus pandemic in Alexandria, Egypt on December 6, 2020. (Reuters)
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Egypt Receives New AstraZeneca Vaccine Shipment

A man walks in front of a pharmacy amid the coronavirus pandemic in Alexandria, Egypt on December 6, 2020. (Reuters)
A man walks in front of a pharmacy amid the coronavirus pandemic in Alexandria, Egypt on December 6, 2020. (Reuters)

Egypt received on Monday 1.7 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine through the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX), the Health Ministry announced.

With the arrival of this new shipment, Egypt hopes to expand its coronavirus vaccination rollout from the first group of vaccine recipients, which include elderly and people with chronic diseases.

The shipment came as part of 40 million doses set to reach Egypt in succession through COVAX.

Health Ministry spokesperson Khaled Megahed said his country will receive more AstraZeneca doses in the coming months.

He added that Russia will send 10 million doses of its Sputnik V jab after signing a contract recently with the Health Ministry.

On Monday, the Ministry recorded 1,138 new Covid-19 infections, up from 1,132 the day before. It also reported 59 new deaths, bringing the country’s toll to 13,904. A total of 237,410 confirmed cases of Covid-19 are now registered in the country.

Meanwhile, the Indian Embassy in Cairo signed on Monday an agreement to purchase 300,000 doses of Remdesivir from Egypt's Eva Pharma Pharmaceuticals Company.

Indian Ambassador Ajit Gupte said that the purchase will help India in its fight against coronavirus, adding that the vaccine is to be shipped to India within the coming few days.

On Monday, head of the scientific committee to confront the coronavirus, Hossam Hosni speculated that the inoculation against the coronavirus will not be a one-time shot, but will be annual, like the influenza vaccine.

Hosni said the AstraZeneca vaccine is safe and effective, explaining that the clots that could happen as a side effect, occur only in five people in a million.

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Qatar and Jordan Pledge Support to Syria

23 December 2024, Syria, Damascus: Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi (L) meets with Syria's new de facto ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa. (Petra/dpa)
23 December 2024, Syria, Damascus: Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi (L) meets with Syria's new de facto ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa. (Petra/dpa)
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Qatar and Jordan Pledge Support to Syria

23 December 2024, Syria, Damascus: Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi (L) meets with Syria's new de facto ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa. (Petra/dpa)
23 December 2024, Syria, Damascus: Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi (L) meets with Syria's new de facto ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa. (Petra/dpa)

Qatar is ready to invest in Syria's energy sector and ports, the de facto Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa said after meeting a senior Qatari official in Damascus on Monday, as his new administration widened contacts with Arab states.

Sharaa also received Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi, the first Arab foreign minister to visit Damascus since the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) toppled Bashar al-Assad two weeks ago. Safadi said Jordan was ready to help Syria rebuild.

The meetings further widened the diplomatic contacts of the new administration established after Sharaa's HTS, a former Al-Qaeda affiliate, led a decisive offensive that overthrew Assad after more than 13 years of war.

The end of Assad's rule has upended the geopolitics of the Middle East, dealing a major blow to his ally Iran and paving the way for other states to build new ties to a country at the crossroads of the region.

Türkiye, which long backed the Syrian opposition, was the first state to send its foreign minister to Damascus.

Qatar's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Mohammed Al-Khulaifi flew into Damascus on Monday aboard the first Qatar Airways flight to land there since Assad was toppled.

Sharaa, speaking to reporters as he stood next to Khulaifi, said that they had discussed the challenges of the coming period, and that he had invited Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani to visit Syria.

"The Qatari side expressed its readiness for wide investments in Syria in many sectors, chief amongst them the energy sector in which they have great experience ... as well as the ports and airports," Sharaa said.

Khulaifi said Qatar, the world's third largest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG), would continue to "stand alongside our brothers in Syria at this time more than any other time".

"Syria and its people need support during this crucial phase which requires the concerted efforts of everyone, especially concerning the lifting of sanctions and the upcoming developmental projects," he said.

JORDAN WILL PROVIDE AID

Syria's stability is a key security concern for Jordan, which borders the country to the south.

Safadi said he agreed with Sharaa on cooperating to counter the smuggling of drugs and weapons from Syria to Jordan - a problem for years under Assad.

Safadi also noted that ISIS, with which Sharaa's group clashed earlier in the Syrian war, remained a threat.

"Our brothers in Syria also realize that this is a threat. God willing, we will all cooperate, not just Jordan and Syria, but all Arab countries and the international community, in fighting this scourge that poses a threat to everyone," he said.

"I focused on reconstruction efforts and Jordan will provide aid," Safadi said, adding that the new Syrian administration must have the opportunity to develop its plans.

There was no immediate statement from the Syrian side on the meeting.

Sharaa, who met senior US diplomats last week, severed ties with Al-Qaeda in 2016. He has said his primary focus is on reconstruction and achieving economic development and that he is not interested in engaging in any new conflicts.