16 Jan 2021; MEMO: Egyptian Finance Minister Mohamed Maait announced that his country needs more than 20 billion Egyptian pounds to provide the coronavirus vaccine to 100 million citizens.
"We have a contract with the Global Vaccine Alliance to get 20 million doses. We have also submitted a request to obtain the Oxford University vaccine, and we expect to get 30 million doses," Maait added.
He continued: "We have also ordered the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine, and we are awaiting approval from the Egyptian Drug Authority. Also, further negotiations are underway with Pfizer."
The Egyptian minister denied that his country had set conditions for buying the coronavirus vaccines, such as choosing lower prices that are compatible with the country's financial resources.
He pointed out that in the period extending from March to June last year, Egypt lost nearly 200 billion pounds of its income, adding that estimates for the current year show that the country is likely to lose between 150 and 200 billion pounds.
The Egyptian minister's statement comes amid a sharp increase in coronavirus infections in Egypt. Meanwhile, a crisis in the healthcare sector has arisen, reflected in the lack of equipment and oxygen ventilators needed to treat patients, which led to fatalities in some hospitals. The government denied these developments, while confirming the availability of the necessary equipment.
Previously, member of Egyptian parliament Mohamed Abdel-Alim Dawoud called for a plenary session to discuss the healthcare situation and the implications of the coronavirus crisis in Egypt, describing the situation as "dangerous".
