Cairo – Mubasher: Egypt has received 1.612 million doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine from the US as part of the COVAX initiative, backed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), the Middle East News Agency (MENA) reported on Monday. 

This is the first batch of the Pfizer vaccine out of a total of 8 million doses of Pfizer and Moderna doses to be provided by the US, Minister of Health and Population Hala Zayed said in a press conference in the presence of the US Ambassador to Cairo, Jonathan Cohen. 

The shipment will undergo tests at the Egyptian Drug Authority's (EDA) labs before being distributed to the 1,100 vaccination centres spread across the country, Zayed added.