Four shipments containing 2.4 million doses of the anti-coronavirus modified Pfizer vaccine arrived at Cairo International Airport last week, the Ministry of Health and Population announced on Sunday.
Health Ministry spokesman Hossam Abdel Ghaffar said the consignments came from Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Italy, Latvia, Slovakia, Spain and Sweden, and Latvia, through the COVAX mechanism and in co-operation with the International Alliance for Vaccines (GAVI).
The modified vaccine is effective against mutations of Covid-19, including Omicron, the spokesman said, adding that the vaccine will be given as a booster to those who have received previous doses of different types of vaccines as part of government plans to diversify vaccine sources.
The latest shipments will be distributed to vaccination centres nationwide after analyses by the Egyptian Drugs Authority (EDA), Abdel Ghaffar said, stressing that the modified Pfizer vaccine is approved by the World Health Organisation.
The government is offering the public the vaccine free of charge.
The Ministry of Health is also calling on the public to register on its website https://egcovac.mohp.gov.eg/#/registration to receive vaccines.
