São Paulo -The first shipment of the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine arrived at the Cairo International Airport in Egypt last Friday (11) from the United Arab Emirates. In Egypt the vaccine will be free of charge. The Sinopharm vaccine has 86% efficacy against coronavirus according to clinical trials completed in Cairo. The UAE has already started vaccinations.
Medical staff will be given the priority to take the vaccine in Egypt. Cancer or kidney failure patients, elderly people and those suffering from chronic diseases will also be prioritized. Egypt recorded 122,609 COVID-19 cases and 6,966 deaths, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The UAE has already started vaccinations and is using the China’s Sinopharm vaccine as well. The jab was approved last week and is available in several clinics and hospitals. According to WHO, the UAE recorded 187,267 cases and 622 deaths.
Saudi Arabia receives this Wednesday (16) its first batch of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which will be distributed within the next three days, health minister Tawfiq Al-Rabiah said.
About 150,000 people have registered to take the coronavirus vaccine through a local app, state news agency Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported. Vaccination is scheduled to start by the end of the year.
The ministry had announced that the treatment would be free and had passed all testing stages, Saudi Arabia recorded 360,155 cases and 6,069 deaths, according to WHO.
Kuwait
Kuwait’s Ministry of Health announced on Sunday (13) the emergency use of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine. The shots will arrive in Kuwait by the end of December and the government is preparing to vaccinate 10,000 people a day, newspaper Gulf News reported. Priority will be given to frontline workers, the elderly and those that suffer from chronic illnesses. Kuwait recorded 146,710 cases and 913 deaths.
Bahrain
Bahrain was the second country to approve Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine use in early December after the United Kingdom approved. The Arab Gulf country also approved China’s Sinopharm vaccine on Sunday (13) for emergency use to frontline professionals, Bahrain News Agency (BNA) reported.
The vaccine will be made available to groups at greater risk, including the elderly, people with chronic diseases, and other groups identified by the Health Ministry as vulnerable. Bahrain recorded 89,444 cases and 348 deaths.
Morocco
Morocco’s minister of Health Khalid Ait Taleb said on Tuesday (15) that Morocco has not yet received any doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. Morocco will launch the COVID-19 vaccine campaign when the country receives doses from one of the companies that signed an agreement with Rabat. The North African country signed agreements with several partners, including Sinopharm.
King Mohammed VI ordered the government to ensure Moroccans can receive a COVID-19 vaccine free of charge. The government will prioritize frontline workers such as medical staff, public authorities, security officers, and educational employees. The elderly and people with chronic diseases will also be Morocco’s priority during the program, newspaper Morocco World News reported.
Morocco recorded 403,619 cases and 6.711 deaths.
Algeria
Algeria is expected to start distributing the vaccine in a month. The vaccine will be free for all Algerians and will not be compulsory.
The State Health Security Agency reported they are studying all vaccines scientifically and that in the next few days they will reveal the vaccine that Algeria will acquire. The country recorded 92,597 cases and 2,609 deaths.
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
