Egypt Allocates Mobile COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics for Elderly, Pensioners

Egyptian ministers inspect Hurghada Airport (Facebook)
Egyptian ministers inspect Hurghada Airport (Facebook)
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Egypt Allocates Mobile COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics for Elderly, Pensioners

Egyptian ministers inspect Hurghada Airport (Facebook)
Egyptian ministers inspect Hurghada Airport (Facebook)

The Egyptian Health Ministry on Wednesday announced launching mobile clinics to provide coronavirus vaccine shots to the elderly and pensioners.

The mobile clinics will be stationed in front of post offices and pension and insurance offices in all governorates to make it easier for the elderly and those suffering from chronic diseases to get the jabs, the Ministry said.

As for home vaccinations, they will be carried out by well-trained teams.

The clinics are equipped with two data entry points to electronically register pensioners, and devices to check blood pressure and blood sugar before administering the vaccine.

The ministry has further allocated more than 400 vaccination centers nationwide and urged citizens to register to get the jabs.

Egypt’s local production of the first batch of the Chinese Sinovac coronavirus vaccine will start by the end of June, according to Health Minister Hala Zayed.

Ministry spokesman Khaled Mujahid said once the production of the first batch is completed, it will be sent to the Egyptian Drug Authority for analysis.

Mujahid said Chinese experts are in Egypt to supervise the manufacturing process and transfer expertise to both the Egyptian Holding Co. for Biological Products and Vaccines (VACSERA) and the Egyptian Drug Authority.

He added that Egypt is one of the first countries in the world to manufacture the Sinovac vaccine following an agreement reached in April.

He stressed clinical trials had been conducted on the jab and that competitive prices were fixed in the agreement.



Hamas Was Not Asked to Leave Doha, but 'Notified' of US Request for Its Expulsion

A file photo of two Palestinian fighters from the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas movement, participating in a military parade near the border with Israel in central Gaza Strip, July 19, 2023 (Reuters).
A file photo of two Palestinian fighters from the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas movement, participating in a military parade near the border with Israel in central Gaza Strip, July 19, 2023 (Reuters).
TT

Hamas Was Not Asked to Leave Doha, but 'Notified' of US Request for Its Expulsion

A file photo of two Palestinian fighters from the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas movement, participating in a military parade near the border with Israel in central Gaza Strip, July 19, 2023 (Reuters).
A file photo of two Palestinian fighters from the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas movement, participating in a military parade near the border with Israel in central Gaza Strip, July 19, 2023 (Reuters).

A senior Hamas source confirmed that the movement has not received a request from Qatar to leave Doha, despite multiple reports that claimed so, however, he said the movement was informed of the US request in this regard.

The source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the movement was made aware of a US request and mounting pressure for its expulsion, but the Qatari government has not made any request from the the movement's leaders.

The source added: "This has happened several times before, and it seems to be a form of US pressure aimed at forcing the movement to make concessions in the stalled ceasefire negotiations in Gaza."

Also, a senior Hamas official told AFP on Saturday that the militant group had received no indication from Qatar that it should leave the country, where its political office has been based for years.

"We have nothing to confirm or deny regarding what was published by an unidentified diplomatic source and we have not received any request to leave Qatar," the official said from Doha.

Earlier, a diplomatic source told AFP on Saturday that "the Qataris informed both the Israelis and Hamas that as long as there is a refusal to negotiate a deal in good faith, they cannot continue to mediate." 

"As a consequence, the Hamas political office no longer serves its purpose," the source said on condition of anonymity.

Qatar, which is home to a major US military base, has hosted Hamas's political leadership since 2012 with Washington's blessing.

During the talks after Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel last year, both Qatari and US officials indicated that the militant group would remain in Doha as long as its presence offered a viable channel of communication.