Egypt Urges Citizens to Get Vaccinated Against COVID

Madbouly and Zayed during the launch of a campaign to encourage citizens to receive the vaccine (Egyptian Cabinet's Facebook page)
Madbouly and Zayed during the launch of a campaign to encourage citizens to receive the vaccine (Egyptian Cabinet's Facebook page)
TT

Egypt Urges Citizens to Get Vaccinated Against COVID

Madbouly and Zayed during the launch of a campaign to encourage citizens to receive the vaccine (Egyptian Cabinet's Facebook page)
Madbouly and Zayed during the launch of a campaign to encourage citizens to receive the vaccine (Egyptian Cabinet's Facebook page)

Egypt’s Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly launched on Wednesday a campaign to enhance public confidence in the effectiveness and safety of coronavirus vaccines and help citizens to register for vaccination.

Madbouly said, “I hope these efforts succeed in encouraging citizens to register for vaccination, especially with the increasing rate of infection."

"I hope the campaign helps people realize the importance of COVID-19 vaccines, as they contribute significantly to either avoiding infection or alleviating its severity.”

Egypt’s Ministry of Health and Population on Tuesday reported 503 new coronavirus cases and 10 deaths.

A total of 293,951 cases have been disclosed in Egypt, alongside 16,895 deaths and 247,450 recoveries.

During his inspection of a pop-up vaccination bus to encourage citizens to get a COVID-19 jab, in the presence of Health Minister Hala Zayed, Madbouly stressed the importance of receiving the vaccine to get protection against infection or reduce the severity of COVID-19 symptoms.

The campaign is in line with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi's directives to expand vaccine access, the health minister said.

She added that the campaign will be launched in Cairo, Giza, and Alexandria governorates in the initial stage and later in other governorates.

Concerning the local manufacturing of the COVID-19 vaccine, Zayed said that 5 million doses have been produced so far.

Between September 11 and 30, about 17 million doses of different COVID-19 vaccine types, including AstraZeneca, Sinovac, Sinopharm, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Sputnik, and Pfizer, will be provided.



Ex-Tunisian Minister Sentenced to Three Years in Prison

Former Environment Minister Riadh Mouakher (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Former Environment Minister Riadh Mouakher (Asharq Al-Awsat)
TT

Ex-Tunisian Minister Sentenced to Three Years in Prison

Former Environment Minister Riadh Mouakher (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Former Environment Minister Riadh Mouakher (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Criminal Chamber specialized in financial corruption cases at the Court of First Instance of Tunis, sentenced on Friday former Environment Minister Riadh Mouakher to three years in prison, the Tunisian official news agency, TAP, reported.
The ruling is part of a corruption case related to breaches in a transaction carried out by the former minister for the purchase of several vehicles.
Investigation showed that the tender conditions were allegedly manipulated in favor of one particulate supplier.
In addition to Mouakher, the Chamber condemned a civil protection executive, seconded to the Environment Ministry, to two years in prison.
The two defendants are found guilty of abusing their functions to obtain an undue advantage, and therefore causing harm to the administration and contravening the regulations in force.
On Thursday, the Criminal Chamber specialized in corruption cases at the Tunis Court of First Instance sentenced a security officer to three years in prison and four others to four years in prison on charges of abusing their functions to obtain an undue advantage and harm others.
The five security officers had formed a group for the purpose of attacking property and exploiting a public employee.
According to documents related to the case, surveillance activities revealed that the five defendants, who work at a central department, were involved in seizing private funds, giving night jobs to some department agents, and transferring the profits to their personal accounts.
Their case was first examined by the Financial Chamber, which decided to sentence the five security guards to prison.
The case was later referred to the Criminal Chamber that examines financial corruption cases. The chamber had earlier kept the five defendants at liberty, before issuing late on Thursday the prison sentences.