Egypt plans to order 10 million doses of the Sputnik V vaccine from Russia only in the initial phase. This was announced on Wednesday by the country's Drug Authority, news portal Al-Dustour reports. Earlier, it was announced that the Russian vaccine had been registered in Egypt for emergency use.
"An agreement to supply the necessary amount of the vaccine, which is initially estimated at 10 million doses, is currently being worked out," the office said.
The press service of the Russian Direct Investment Fund said Wednesday, "Egypt, the most populous country in the Middle East with more than 100 million people, became the 35th state in the world to approve the use of the Sputnik V vaccine."
The Russian Embassy in Cairo welcomed Cairo's decision to register the Russian Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine for use in the country. "This step paves the way for supplies of the first-class drug to Egypt and will contribute to the expansion of bilateral cooperation in the fight against the pandemic," the diplomatic mission said in a communiqué released by the it - "We thank our Egyptian partners for their trust and hope to make our strong contribution to protecting the population of the friendly country from the coronavirus infection. We hope to expand the boundaries of mutually beneficial partnerships in healthcare and localize production of Russian anti-coronavirus drugs in Egypt in the future".
The Egyptian government, meanwhile, said on Wednesday that mass vaccination of the country's population will begin in March. By now, the vaccination campaign against the new coronavirus has been completed among doctors and people with chronic diseases.
Four vaccines have now been registered in Egypt. In addition to Sputnik V, there are AstraZeneca (AZD 1222), Sinopharm and AstraZeneca, all of which have undergone the necessary laboratory testing by the Drug Authority for safety, quality and efficacy.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: sputnikvaccine.com
Based on materials from TASS