Egypt’s Ministry of Health and Population announced the arrival of 2,004,000 doses of the updated Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at Cairo International Airport in four shipments delivered over the past week, according to a statement published on the ministry’s official Facebook page on Sunday.
Ministry spokesperson Dr Hossam Abdel Ghaffar said the shipments were donated by eight friendly countries — France, Sweden, Croatia, Italy, Spain, Slovakia, Czechia and Latvia — through COVAX in cooperation with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
He said the updated Pfizer vaccine is effective against coronavirus variants, including Omicron, and will be administered as a booster to people who previously received different types of vaccines. This forms part of the state’s plan to diversify and expand vaccine availability and preserve Egypt’s progress in responding to the pandemic.
The shipments will be distributed to vaccination centres across all governorates after the Egyptian Drug Authority completes the required testing. He confirmed that the updated Pfizer vaccine has been approved by both the World Health Organization and the Egyptian Drug Authority.
The ministry said the state continues working to provide vaccines free of charge nationwide, including reaching residents in remote areas, to help maintain community immunity. It urged citizens to register on the ministry’s website to receive COVID-19 vaccines.
