Egypt Inoculates 14 Million Citizens against COVID-19

The minister of higher education during a visit to Ain Shams University on Saturday, October 10, 2021. (Egyptian government’s Facebook page)
The minister of higher education during a visit to Ain Shams University on Saturday, October 10, 2021. (Egyptian government’s Facebook page)
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Egypt Inoculates 14 Million Citizens against COVID-19

The minister of higher education during a visit to Ain Shams University on Saturday, October 10, 2021. (Egyptian government’s Facebook page)
The minister of higher education during a visit to Ain Shams University on Saturday, October 10, 2021. (Egyptian government’s Facebook page)

Health authorities in Egypt announced that they have so far vaccinated 14 million citizens against COVID-19.

Dr. Mohamed Awad Taj El-Din, adviser to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi for health affairs, said 31 million doses available in the country.

“Large quantities of the Chinese vaccine have been manufactured locally,” he noted, adding there is abundance in raw materials.

Egypt is currently grappling with the fourth wave of the pandemic, Taj El-Din said urging people to continue to respect preventive measures, including maintaining social distancing and wearing masks.

The Health Ministry has recorded 310,745 coronavirus infections so far, including 262,043 recoveries and 17,619 deaths.

Meanwhile, the new academic year at schools and universities began on Saturday, amid strict measures to prevent the spread of the virus.

School administrations urged students to adhere to the health measures and ensure full in-person attendance for the entire year.

A health committee was assigned to each school to make sure that students, faculty and staff respect health precautions, such as mask wearing and social distancing.



Lebanon Hopes for Neighborly Relations in First Message to New Syria Government

Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (C) arrives for a meeting with visiting Druze officials from Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) in Damascus on December 22, 2024. (AFP)
Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (C) arrives for a meeting with visiting Druze officials from Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) in Damascus on December 22, 2024. (AFP)
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Lebanon Hopes for Neighborly Relations in First Message to New Syria Government

Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (C) arrives for a meeting with visiting Druze officials from Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) in Damascus on December 22, 2024. (AFP)
Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (C) arrives for a meeting with visiting Druze officials from Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) in Damascus on December 22, 2024. (AFP)

Lebanon said on Thursday it was looking forward to having the best neighborly relations with Syria, in its first official message to the new administration in Damascus.

Lebanese caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib passed the message to his Syrian counterpart, Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, in a phone call, the Lebanese Foreign Ministry said on X.

Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah played a major part propping up Syria's ousted President Bashar al-Assad through years of war, before bringing its fighters back to Lebanon over the last year to fight in a bruising war with Israel - a redeployment which weakened Syrian government lines.

Under Assad, Hezbollah used Syria to bring in weapons and other military equipment from Iran, through Iraq and Syria and into Lebanon. But on Dec. 6, anti-Assad fighters seized the border with Iraq and cut off that route, and two days later, opposition factions captured the capital Damascus.

Syria's new de-facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa is seeking to establish relations with Arab and Western leaders after toppling Assad.