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)
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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.



Blinken Tells Israel Escalation Will Make Civilian Return More Difficult in Lebanon

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks at a Ministerial Meeting on addressing the situation in Venezuela on September 26, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Bryan R. SMITH / POOL / AFP)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks at a Ministerial Meeting on addressing the situation in Venezuela on September 26, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Bryan R. SMITH / POOL / AFP)
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Blinken Tells Israel Escalation Will Make Civilian Return More Difficult in Lebanon

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks at a Ministerial Meeting on addressing the situation in Venezuela on September 26, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Bryan R. SMITH / POOL / AFP)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks at a Ministerial Meeting on addressing the situation in Venezuela on September 26, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Bryan R. SMITH / POOL / AFP)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Israel on Thursday that further escalation to the conflict involving Lebanon will only make it harder for civilians to return home on both sides of the border, the State Department said.
Israel rejected global calls on Thursday for a ceasefire with the Hezbollah movement, defying its biggest ally in Washington and pressing ahead with strikes that have killed hundreds in Lebanon and heightened fears of an all-out regional war, Reuters said.
Despite Israel's stance, the US and France sought to keep prospects alive for an immediate 21-day truce they proposed on Wednesday, and said negotiations continued, including on the sidelines of a United Nations meeting in New York.
"The Secretary discussed the importance of reaching an agreement on the 21 day ceasefire across the Israel-Lebanon border," the State Department said in a statement referring to talks between Blinken and Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer.
"He underscored that further escalation of the conflict will only make that objective (of civilian return) more difficult."
The State Department added that Blinken also discussed efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and steps that Israel needs to take to improve delivery of humanitarian assistance in the enclave where nearly the entire 2.3 million population is displaced and a hunger crisis exists.
US President Joe Biden laid out a three-phase ceasefire proposal for Gaza on May 31 but the deal has run into obstacles, mostly over Israeli demands to maintain presence in the Philadelphi corridor on Gaza's border with Egypt and specifics about exchanges of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners.
Washington has faced mounting global and domestic criticism over its backing of Israel amid the escalation of conflict in Lebanon, where Israeli strikes have killed hundreds in recent days.
Critics say Washington has not leveraged its assistance to pressure Israel into accepting ceasefire calls. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due to address the United Nations General Assembly on Friday.
The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered on Oct. 7 when Palestinian Hamas militants attacked Israel, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's subsequent military assault on Gaza has killed over 41,000, according to Palestinian health authorities.