Egypt to Produce 40 Million COVID-19 Vaccine Doses in 2021

Students abiding by the precautionary measures against the coronavirus while taking exams in Giza. (EPA)
Students abiding by the precautionary measures against the coronavirus while taking exams in Giza. (EPA)
TT

Egypt to Produce 40 Million COVID-19 Vaccine Doses in 2021

Students abiding by the precautionary measures against the coronavirus while taking exams in Giza. (EPA)
Students abiding by the precautionary measures against the coronavirus while taking exams in Giza. (EPA)

Egypt has said it will produce 40 million doses of the Sinovac vaccine in the coming six months.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education and Technical Education affirmed that schools would take the necessary precautions to limit the spread of the pandemic during high school exams.

The procedures include physical distancing among students, measuring their temperature, sanitizing all halls and committing to wearing facemasks.

The Egyptian cabinet further denied rumors about dedicating special exam halls for coronavirus patients, saying the exams will be postponed for those infected with the virus.

The Health Ministry revealed that Egypt has so far provided medical aid to 38 Arab and African countries to face the pandemic.

In a video conference Egyptian Health Minister Hala Zayed and State Secretary of the German Federal Ministry of Health Sabine Weiss discussed the coronavirus situation in Egypt.

Zayed said Egypt has a low rate of infections despite its large population.

She also noted that despite Egypt being hit by three waves of the pandemic, the highest single-day tally of cases has never exceeded 1,700.

Egypt’s Health Ministry spokesman Khaled Mujahid revealed in a statement that the meeting tackled cooperation in exchanging health data regarding the coronavirus.

According to Mujahid, the Egyptian minister showcased the vaccine production plan and export to African countries, with the assistance of the Egyptian Unified Procurement Authority (UPA).

The Health Ministry said that 606 new coronavirus cases have been detected, upping the total number of confirmed infections since the outbreak of the disease in the country to 275,010.

Further, 32 patients have died from the virus, the ministry said, raising the death toll to 15,723.



Jordan’s King Abdullah Swears in New Government Led by Technocrat 

Jordan's King Abdullah II speaks during a news conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, after talks at the Chancellery, in Berlin, Germany, March 15, 2022. (Reuters)
Jordan's King Abdullah II speaks during a news conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, after talks at the Chancellery, in Berlin, Germany, March 15, 2022. (Reuters)
TT

Jordan’s King Abdullah Swears in New Government Led by Technocrat 

Jordan's King Abdullah II speaks during a news conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, after talks at the Chancellery, in Berlin, Germany, March 15, 2022. (Reuters)
Jordan's King Abdullah II speaks during a news conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, after talks at the Chancellery, in Berlin, Germany, March 15, 2022. (Reuters)

Jordan's King Abdullah II swore in a reformist government on Wednesday tasked with accelerating IMF-backed reforms and pushing through political and economic modernization crucial to reversing a decade of sluggish growth, officials said.

The Harvard-educated prime minister, Jafar Hassan, headed the monarch's office in his last job. Hasan has proven to be an able administrator during a long public career in which he oversaw economic reforms as a deputy premier and during a stint as planning minister, according to officials and politicians.

Politicians say a key task is accelerating IMF-guided reforms and reining in more than $50 billion in public debt in a country with high unemployment.

Veteran foreign minister Ayman Safadi kept his post in the new 32-member cabinet that includes moderates, tribal politicians and technocrats.

Although the new composition of the 138-member parliament retains a pro-government majority, the more vocal Islamist-led opposition could challenge IMF-backed free-market reforms and foreign policy, diplomats and officials say.

The new finance minister Abdul Hakim al-Shibli, a seasoned economist, replaces veteran Mohammad al-Ississ who won praise from the IMF for stepping up reforms and maintaining fiscal prudence while avoiding austerity policies.

The previous government had sought to drive reforms pushed by King Abdullah to help reverse a decade of sluggish growth, hovering at around 2%, that was worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic and conflicts in neighboring Iraq and Syria.