Egypt said it will produce 40 million doses of the Sinovac vaccine against the coronavirus within a year.
It added that Egypt was able to take firm steps that resulted in concluding an agreement to manufacture vaccines in the country, asserting that the state is looking to share the outcome of these national efforts with other African countries.
Meanwhile, Health Minister Hala Zayed announced a change to precautionary measures for those entering the country.
Health Ministry spokesman Khaled Megahed stated that access to the country was only relevant for holders of vaccination passports with COVID-19 jabs approved by the World Health Organization and the Egyptian Medicines Authority.
The statement specified that travelers must have received at least two doses of vaccines made by Sinopharm, Sinovac, Sputnik, Pfizer, AstraZeneca or Moderna, or else 14 days should have passed since their first dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
In the same context, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly has expressed Egypt's keenness to secure the rollout of coronavirus vaccines across Africa.
Addressing the African Union Bureau meeting on Thursday on behalf of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Madbouly said Egypt has reached a deal to produce COVID-19 vaccines locally and seeks to share the benefits of this agreement with African countries.
The PM highlighted the significance of international support for African efforts to recover from the economic ramifications of the pandemic.
Madbouly hailed Democratic Republic of Congo President Félix Tshisekedi, the current chairman of the African Union, for the launch of Partnerships for African Vaccine Manufacturing (PAVM).
