This archive report was first published on 10 May 2021.
On May 9, Egyptian Health Minister Hala Zayed revealed that Egypt will begin manufacturing China's Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine locally in June.
According to Zayed, the first 2 million doses will be produced at the Egyptian Holding Company for Biological Products and Vaccines (VACSERA) facilities in June.
During a press conference in Cairo, Zayed stated that the first shipment of raw materials needed to manufacture the vaccine will arrive on May 18, with plans to produce 40 million doses in the first year.
Two agreements were signed between Sinovac and VACSERA in April, allowing the Egyptian side to obtain expertise and technical assistance to produce the vaccine, as well as granting VACSERA a license to manufacture and pack the vaccine in its factories.
The locally produced vaccine will be dubbed Sinovac-Vacsera, as revealed by Zayed.
Notably, Egypt began vaccinating medical staff in governmental hospitals with a COVID-19 vaccine made by Sinopharm in late January, and later expanded vaccinations to the elderly and patients with chronic diseases in early March.
As of now, Egypt has reported 236,272 COVID-19 cases, including 13,845 deaths and 176,363 recoveries.
