Egypt Increases Number of Vaccination Centers

The cabinet meets in New Alamein on Wednesday. (Egyptian government)
The cabinet meets in New Alamein on Wednesday. (Egyptian government)
TT

Egypt Increases Number of Vaccination Centers

The cabinet meets in New Alamein on Wednesday. (Egyptian government)
The cabinet meets in New Alamein on Wednesday. (Egyptian government)

Egypt’s Minister of Health and Population Hala Zayed said that the number of coronavirus vaccination centers has been increased to 657 from 580, building on the government’s pledge in June to inoculate 40 percent of the population by the end of this year.

During a cabinet meeting in New Alamein on Wednesday, the minister noted that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has underscored the significance of vaccines in light of the emergence of the Delta variant.

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly prioritized vaccinating university and school staff and students ahead of the new academic year.

Zayed said vaccination stations that have been set up at university hospitals to inoculate medical staff will handle the rest of the faculty in each university.

They will also administer the second dose of vaccines before the beginning of the new academic year.

Additionally, the Health Ministry has set a mechanism for vaccinating workers at the Ministry of Education and Technical Education.

Moreover, Zayed addressed the current situation of supplying AstraZeneca, Sinovac, Sinopharm, Sputnik, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. She noted the quantities of raw materials for manufacturing vaccines in the VACSERA factories that should be received by the end of the year.

Six million doses will be released gradually starting September 5.



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.