Egypt has approved the usage of a COVID-19 vaccine developed by Sinopharm, a Chinese pharmaceutical company, as the rollout will start later in the month of January, the Egyptian health minister said on Saturday, reported AFP. 

“The Egyptian pharmaceutical authority approved on Saturday the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine,” Hala Zayed said late Saturday, on the local MBC Masr channel. 

The first batch of the COVID-19 vaccine, each batch having 50,000 doses, was delivered in December, as the health ministry has announced that medical workers will be the first to receive them. The second batch will arrive in Egypt in January.

“The second shipment of this vaccine is due to arrive in the second or third week of January, and as soon as it arrives, we will start vaccinations,” the minister said, quoted AFP.

Zayed said Egypt plans to purchase 40 million doses of the Sinopharm jab. She also said that the nation will be receiving the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine by the third or fourth week of January as a contract is “being finalised.”

Negotiations with Pfizer “are underway” as well, she added.

The Arab world’s most populous nation with nearly 100 million inhabitants, Egypt has recorded more than 140,000 cases of coronavirus infection and 7,800 deaths by the virus. 

The COVID-19 infections have risen dramatically in the Middle-eastern nation in late 2020 after a brief lull from around 100 cases recording each day in October to nearly 1,400 cases as of now. 

Chinese pharma Sinopharm on Wednesday announced that one of COVID-19 vaccines, that will be distributed in China, was 79% effective, reported AFP.