Egypt: Up to 129 Million COVID-19 Vaccine Doses Available

Caption: An Egyptian citizen receives the coronavirus vaccine. (Egyptian Health Ministry)
Caption: An Egyptian citizen receives the coronavirus vaccine. (Egyptian Health Ministry)
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Egypt: Up to 129 Million COVID-19 Vaccine Doses Available

Caption: An Egyptian citizen receives the coronavirus vaccine. (Egyptian Health Ministry)
Caption: An Egyptian citizen receives the coronavirus vaccine. (Egyptian Health Ministry)

Egypt has announced that 129 million COVID-19 vaccine doses are available for its citizens amid officials' expectations of surge in Omicron cases.

Acting Health Minister Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar said the whole world is witnessing a surge in coronavirus infections, including Egypt.

He pointed to the highly transmissible Omicron coronavirus variant, stressing that the number of cases reported does not determine the current epidemiological situation.

The Omicron variant is expected to sweep the world during the coming three weeks, Abdel-Ghaffar noted in televised statements on Friday.

Common Omicron symptoms include sore throat, congestion, runny nose and headache, all of which are flu-like symptoms, the minister said, adding that occasionally there can be nausea and diarrhea, and other people may have muscle aches, fever and chills.

According to the minister, health authorities in Cairo are using the same treatment protocols for Omicron cases.

Scientific research has proven that the vaccines help overcome symptoms and do not prevent infection, he stated, warning that unvaccinated people are more likely to need hospitalization and suffer severe symptoms.

For its part, the Health Ministry underscored Saturday the importance of vaccination.

It issued a statement advising people to isolate as soon as they feel any flu symptoms and head directly to the hospital in case they had any respiratory problems.



UN Seeks $6 Billion to Ease Hunger Catastrophe in Sudan

Displaced Sudanese, who fled the Zamzam camp, gather near the town of Tawila in North Darfur on February 14, 2025. (AFP)
Displaced Sudanese, who fled the Zamzam camp, gather near the town of Tawila in North Darfur on February 14, 2025. (AFP)
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UN Seeks $6 Billion to Ease Hunger Catastrophe in Sudan

Displaced Sudanese, who fled the Zamzam camp, gather near the town of Tawila in North Darfur on February 14, 2025. (AFP)
Displaced Sudanese, who fled the Zamzam camp, gather near the town of Tawila in North Darfur on February 14, 2025. (AFP)

UN officials on Monday asked for $6 billion for Sudan this year from donors to help ease what they called the world's worst ever hunger catastrophe and the mass displacement of people brought on by civil war.

The UN appeal represents a rise of more than 40% from last year's for Sudan at a time when aid budgets around the world are under strain, partly due to a pause in funding announced by US President Donald Trump last month that has affected life-saving programs across the globe.

The UN says the funds are necessary because the impact of the 22-month war between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) - that has already displaced a fifth of its population and stoked severe hunger among around half its population - looks set to worsen.

World Food Program chief Cindy McCain, speaking via video to a room full of diplomats in Geneva, said: "Sudan is now the epicenter of the world's largest and most severe hunger crisis ever."

She did not provide figures, but Sudan's total population currently stands at about 48 million people. Among previous world famines, the Bengal Famine of 1943 claimed between 2 million and 3 million lives, according to several estimates, while millions are believed to have died in the Great Chinese Famine of 1959-61.

Famine conditions have been reported in at least five locations in Sudan, including displacement camps in Darfur, a UN statement said, and this was set to worsen with continued fighting and the collapse of basic services.

"This is a humanitarian crisis that is truly unprecedented in its scale and its gravity and it demands a response unprecedented in scale and intent," UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher said.

One of the famine-stricken camps was attacked by the RSF last week as the group tries to tighten its grip on its Darfur stronghold.

While some aid agencies say they have received waivers from Washington to provide aid in Sudan, uncertainty remains on the extent of coverage for providing famine relief.

The UN plan aims to reach nearly 21 million people within the country, making it the most ambitious humanitarian response so far for 2025, and requires $4.2 billion - the rest being for those displaced by the conflict.