Japan delivered a total of 700,260 doses of the Japanese-made AstraZeneca vaccine to Egypt via the COVAX facility. The first cluster containing 352,800 doses arrived on December 26, and additional 347,460 doses are expected to arrive on December 30, a statement by the Japanese Embassy in Cairo said.
“This is the first donation of vaccines from Japan to the African continent, demonstrating Japan’s close partnership with Egypt to help support its response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the friendship between the peoples of Japan and Egypt,” the statement added.
The current pandemic is a “human security” crisis, posing threats to individuals’ survival, livelihood and dignity, and the global community must work together so that no one is left behind in the fight against the pandemic.
Japan has supported Egypt’s efforts to tackle this pandemic by extending more than $250 million so far, according to the statement.
Japan has been at the forefront of the global response to COVID-19, including through contributing $1 billion to COVAX, which represents more than 10 % of its total budget as of June 2021, the statement added.
