Egypt received Friday the first shipment of raw materials for the local production of the Chinese Covid-19 vaccine, Sinovac.
The shipment consisted of 1,400 litres of vaccine raw materials. They would be enough for the production of two million doses of the Chinese vaccine, Minister of Health and Population Hala Zayed said.
The shipment is in accordance with an agreement between the Chinese vaccine maker and Egypt’s national vaccine producer, VACSERA.
Zayed said the shipment was the first step on the road to local production of Covid-19 vaccines.
“Egypt will be one of the first countries in Africa to manufacture Covid-19 vaccines,” Zayed said, adding that vaccine production surpluses would be exported to other African countries.
The making of Sinovac, the minister added, would start immediately at VACSERA’s labs. She expected the two million doses of the vaccine to be ready within two months.
The arrival of the raw materials coincides with the celebration of 65 years of Egyptian-Chinese diplomatic relations.
