Egypt Plans to Start Local Production of Moderna Vaccine

A nurse prepares COVID-19 vaccine shot Cairo, Egypt (AP)
A nurse prepares COVID-19 vaccine shot Cairo, Egypt (AP)
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Egypt Plans to Start Local Production of Moderna Vaccine

A nurse prepares COVID-19 vaccine shot Cairo, Egypt (AP)
A nurse prepares COVID-19 vaccine shot Cairo, Egypt (AP)

Egypt seeks to allocate a production line in its Egyptian Holding Company for Biological Products and Vaccines (VACSERA) to manufacture the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.

Minister of Health Hala Zayed met with Moderna representatives via video conference to discuss cooperation to secure coronavirus vaccine doses.

The meeting discussed allocating a production line in VACSERA to manufacture Moderna's vaccine as part of Egypt's efforts to diversify the sources of obtaining vaccines.

The Health Ministry Spokesman, Khaled Megahed, said that Egypt aims to provide vaccine doses to Africa and other countries in cooperation with international companies in this field and a production capacity that could reach three million doses per day.

Zayed invited the Moderna representatives to visit Egypt and check the manufacturing capabilities at the VACSERA factories in the Sixth of October City.

For their part, Modena representatives confirmed readiness to export coronavirus vaccine doses to Egypt and inform the Egyptian Health Ministry of developments regarding the latter's plan to produce the company's vaccine.

On Thursday, the Ministry of Health and Population reported 413 new coronavirus cases, 12 deaths, and 731 recoveries.

Since the pandemic hit the country in February last year, the total number of coronavirus cases has reached 291,585, with 16,836 deaths and 244,793 recoveries.



WHO Aims to Begin 2nd Phase of Polio Campaign in Gaza on Oct. 14

A Palestinian child is vaccinated against polio, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Jabalia in northern Gaza Strip, September 10, 2024. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa/File Photo
A Palestinian child is vaccinated against polio, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Jabalia in northern Gaza Strip, September 10, 2024. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa/File Photo
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WHO Aims to Begin 2nd Phase of Polio Campaign in Gaza on Oct. 14

A Palestinian child is vaccinated against polio, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Jabalia in northern Gaza Strip, September 10, 2024. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa/File Photo
A Palestinian child is vaccinated against polio, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Jabalia in northern Gaza Strip, September 10, 2024. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa/File Photo

A World Health Organization official on Friday said the organization has sent a request to Israel to begin the second phase of the polio vaccination campaign in Gaza from Oct. 14.

"We have asked the Israeli authorities to consider a similar scheme that we had for the first round, something they call 'tactical pauses' (in fighting) during the working hours of the campaign," said Ayadil Saparbekov, WHO lead for emergencies in the occupied Palestinian territory, Reuters reported.

He said negotiations were ongoing and that a meeting with Israeli authorities about the next phase of the campaign was planned for Sunday.