Cairo – Mubasher: Egypt has received 3.89 million doses of Pfizer vaccine against COVID-19 on 27 November, in a bid to diversify and expand the shots available for the citizens, according to an official statement.

The jabs were sent under Gavi COVAX AMC, which ensures that the 92 middle- and lower-income countries that cannot fully afford to pay for the vaccines obtain equal access as higher-income self-financing states and at the same time.

The received Pfizer vaccine shipment will undergo testing at the Egyptian Drug Authority’s (EDA) laboratories before distribution nationwide.

In a separate statement, the Ministry of Health and Population announced holding a joint meeting with the higher education ministry to discuss the latest developments about the new COVID-19 variant Omicron, which was first reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) from South Africa on 24 November.

Egypt has banned direct flights from and to South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, and Eswatini to curb the spread of the new variant.

All travellers arriving from the above-mentioned seven countries at Cairo International Airport through indirect flights to other countries will be subject to rapid DNA testing. In case the result of the test is positive, they will be boarding the same plane they arrived on.

The number of daily infections in Egypt has increased to 931 according to the health ministry’s latest report. Until press time, Egypt registered 355,767 total COVID-19 cases since the pandemic started.