Egypt steps up coronavirus vaccine campaign amid surge in cases
Amid a surge in coronavirus cases, the Egyptian government has stepped up its vaccination push, increasing the number of vaccination centers and the rollout to include workers in labor-intensive sectors.
Fatma El Zahra, a 68-year-old housewife, patiently awaits her turn to get the coronavirus vaccine at Al Khabeery clinic in Maadi, one of nearly 140 vaccination centers set up nationwide in recent weeks by the Ministry of Health and Population. The Egyptian government has stepped up its vaccination campaign of late, expanding its vaccine rollout to include the elderly and people with chronic diseases after several weeks of vaccinating health practitioners on the frontlines of the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, as the Egyptian cabinet announced in early March.
"I registered on the Health Ministry vaccination website yesterday and almost immediately received a message on my cellphone scheduling my appointment for the following day," Zahra told Al-Monitor. "My brother, his wife and my nephew have all been vaccinated so I thought why not me?"
Unlike many in Egypt, Zahra is not too concerned about the vaccine's possible side effects.
"The vaccine will protect me," she said. "Even if I get infected with the coronavirus the symptoms will be milder."
