CAIRO: Egypt has officially announced its deal for receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine developed by the UK’s Oxford University to reduce the COVID-19 infection rate.
Bahaa El-Din Zidan, general doctor and chairman of the board of directors of the Egyptian Single Purchase Authority, announced signing a deal with the R-Pharma and Serum Institute to purchase 20 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Egypt’s Drug Authority (EDA) had received the papers of the British Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in preparation for supplying it to the country to ensure its safe use.
AstraZeneca’s vaccine has proven to be 70 percent effective on average.
Among the most prominent features of the AstraZeneca laboratories and the University of Oxford vaccine is that it is easy to store as it requires a temperature ranging between two and eight degrees Celsius. This is the temperature of regular refrigerators, unlike the Moderna, Biontec and Pfizer vaccines, which can only be stored in the long term at very low temperatures of 20 degrees below zero for the first vaccine and 70 degrees below zero for the second.
Egyptian Health Ministry spokesman, Khalid Mujahid, said that the first shipments of AstraZeneca’s vaccine were scheduled to arrive next Thursday.
He said that the Long Live Egypt Fund transferred the amounts owed to the company in preparation for receiving the following shipments of up to 20 million doses.
Mujahid said that a new shipment of the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine would be received by the end of this week, and that the delay in vaccination was to ensure continuity of doses, especially the second dose.
Higher Education and Scientific Research Minister Khaled Abdel Ghaffar said that coronavirus cases in Egypt would continue to rise over January and the first half of February. The number of cases would start to decrease in the second half of February, Abdel Ghaffar said, according to mathematical predictions.
According to his televised statement, the ministry is following the developments of coronavirus cases in a number of countries, such as England, Germany, France, India and Brazil, to compare it with the number of cases in the first wave. This is to prepare the initial guide in order to know the infection curve.
Abdel Ghaffar said that the rate of decrease in COVID-19 cases is currently 10 percent above the level of university hospitals.
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Egypt signs agreement to receive 20 million AstraZeneca doses
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Egypt signs agreement to receive 20 million AstraZeneca doses
- Egypt’s Drug Authority has received the papers of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in preparation for supplying it to the country to ensure its safe use
- AstraZeneca’s vaccine has proven to be 70 percent effective on average
Israel’s Supreme Court suspends govt move to shut army radio
- Israel’s Supreme Court has issued an interim order suspending a government decision to shut down Galei Tsahal, the country’s decades-old and widely listened-to military radio station
JERUSALEM: Israel’s Supreme Court has issued an interim order suspending a government decision to shut down Galei Tsahal, the country’s decades-old and widely listened-to military radio station.
In a ruling issued late Sunday, Supreme Court President Isaac Amit said the suspension was partly because the government “did not provide a clear commitment not to take irreversible steps before the court reaches a final decision.”
He added that Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara supported the suspension.
The cabinet last week approved the closure of Galei Tsahal, with the shutdown scheduled to take effect before March 1, 2026.
Founded in 1950, Galei Tsahal is widely known for its flagship news programs and has long been followed by both domestic and foreign correspondents.
A government audience survey ranks it as Israel’s third most listened-to radio station, with a market share of 17.7 percent.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had urged ministers to back the closure, saying there had been repeated proposals over the years to remove the station from the military, abolish it or privatise it.
But Baharav-Miara, who also serves as the government’s legal adviser and is facing dismissal proceedings initiated by the premier, has warned that closing the station raised “concerns about possible political interference in public broadcasting.”
She added that it “poses questions regarding an infringement on freedom of expression and of the press.”
Defense Minister Israel Katz said last week that Galei Tsahal broadcasts “political and divisive content” that does not align with military values.
He said soldiers, civilians and bereaved families had complained that the station did not represent them and undermined morale and the war effort.
Katz also argued that a military-run radio station serving the general public is an anomaly in democratic countries.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid had condemned the closure decision, calling it part of the government’s effort to suppress freedom of expression ahead of elections.
Israel is due to hold parliamentary elections in 2026, and Netanyahu has said he will seek another term as prime minister.
In a ruling issued late Sunday, Supreme Court President Isaac Amit said the suspension was partly because the government “did not provide a clear commitment not to take irreversible steps before the court reaches a final decision.”
He added that Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara supported the suspension.
The cabinet last week approved the closure of Galei Tsahal, with the shutdown scheduled to take effect before March 1, 2026.
Founded in 1950, Galei Tsahal is widely known for its flagship news programs and has long been followed by both domestic and foreign correspondents.
A government audience survey ranks it as Israel’s third most listened-to radio station, with a market share of 17.7 percent.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had urged ministers to back the closure, saying there had been repeated proposals over the years to remove the station from the military, abolish it or privatise it.
But Baharav-Miara, who also serves as the government’s legal adviser and is facing dismissal proceedings initiated by the premier, has warned that closing the station raised “concerns about possible political interference in public broadcasting.”
She added that it “poses questions regarding an infringement on freedom of expression and of the press.”
Defense Minister Israel Katz said last week that Galei Tsahal broadcasts “political and divisive content” that does not align with military values.
He said soldiers, civilians and bereaved families had complained that the station did not represent them and undermined morale and the war effort.
Katz also argued that a military-run radio station serving the general public is an anomaly in democratic countries.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid had condemned the closure decision, calling it part of the government’s effort to suppress freedom of expression ahead of elections.
Israel is due to hold parliamentary elections in 2026, and Netanyahu has said he will seek another term as prime minister.
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