Egypt Pushes Ahead with Vaccination Drive
By: Habiba Al-Roubi
@habibaalroubi1_
As the Ministry of Health (MoH) increases the number of facilities offering vaccinations, students are debating which shot to get.
In Egypt, there are currently two vaccines being administered: the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine, and AstraZeneca, which is manufactured by a British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company.
Egypt received the first batch of the Sinopharm vaccine in early January 2021, and last weekend received another 500,000 doses.
The AstraZeneca vaccine also arrived in late January; on May 12, the MoH said it received nearly 1.8 million doses.
“Sinopharm is administered in two doses, three weeks apart with an efficacy rate of 79.3 percent,” said Lilian Acuna, senior coordinator in the Office of Medical Services at AUC.
This contrasts with AstraZeneca, which is administered in two doses, four weeks apart, and has an efficacy rate of 76 percent, Acuna added.
She pointed out that both vaccines can have the same potential side effects: fever, allergy, diarrhea, vomiting, muscle and joint pain, and stiffness and/or pain on the vaccinated arm.
According to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) website, these reactions to vaccines are mild and can subside without medical intervention, but most family doctors advise taking over-the-counter medicines such as Panadol to deal with the fever and muscle/joint pain.
The vaccines can also cause more serious or long-term side effects, but these are extremely rare. Vaccines are constantly checked for rare but serious side effects, according to the WHO’s website.
Earlier this year, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) started investigating very rare reports of thromboembolism after taking the AstraZeneca vaccine. Thromboembolism refers to a formation of a clot in a blood vessel that breaks and moves to another vessel. The clot may plug a vessel in the lungs, brain, gastrointestinal tract, kidneys, or leg.
The EMA recorded 30 cases in March 2021 of thromboembolism among approximately five million European Economic Area recipients of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.
After further investigation, EMA determined that the blood clots should be listed as a “very rare” side effect, with the benefits outweighing the risks as stated in an article by DW News.
However, according to reports of thromboembolic incidents in vaccinated individuals published by The Lancet, a prestigious British medical journal, administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine had been paused in a number of European countries in mid-March 2021.
By April, these countries continued the use of AstraZeneca but with restrictions, such as limiting it to people over the age of 55.
AstraZeneca released a statement on its website on April 7, saying that they have been working closely with regulators to make improvements to product details and to investigate the specific cases that may explain these rare reactions.
Egyptian Health Minister Hala Zayed reassured the public that the AstraZeneca vaccine was safe to take, and that it was not linked to an increased risk of blood clotting disorders.
In an Egypt Independent article announcing the arrival of 854,400 doses of AstraZeneca in early April, Health Ministry spokesperson Khaled Megahed stated that the vaccine was granted emergency use approval from the Egyptian Drug authority and WHO.
“A secure way to end this pandemic is through vaccines. You can still catch COVID-19 after taking the vaccine, but with mild symptoms; that is why the Ministry of Health advises people to continue wearing masks and social distance,” said Acuna.
Reham Abdallah, a nurse in the AUC Office of Medical Services, told The Caravan that the vaccines will protect people from infection.
“If you are protected, you are less likely to infect someone else. This is particularly important to protect people at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19, such as healthcare providers, older or elderly adults, and people with other chronic medical conditions,” Abdallah said.
WHO experts have expressed low confidence in data provided by Sinopharm developers, but confidence in its ability to prevent COVID-19 infection.
The WHO approved Sinopharm for emergency use on May 8, paving the way for it to be included in the COVAX emergency global regimen, which buys vaccines and provides them mainly for poor countries or those with little access.
According to Reuters’ COVID-19 Tracker website, 1,371,976 doses of COVID vaccines have been administered in Egypt since roll out began in January.
In accordance with the Ministry of Health and Population’s plan, vaccination priority is given to people with higher risks of contracting the virus or who might suffer severe complications due to preexisting health conditions. Priority groups include medical staff, the elderly and people with chronic diseases.
COVID-19 vaccines are now available in 360 medical centers in Egypt, according to the MoH.
Celine Bassiouny, a freshman intending to major in psychology, is not sure whether she will be taking the vaccine.
“I just feel like I wouldn’t know whether I’ll face any side effects or not, and at the same time the vaccine would help end the pandemic,” said Bassiouny.
However, Nahla Helmy, a Mechanical Engineering Ph.D. student at AUC, personally believes that taking the COVID-19 vaccine will protect older members of society as they are more at risk than others.
“First, after reading the advice of several specialists, I’ve seen that the benefits of the vaccine outweigh its risks and are lower than the COVID-19 risks,” said Helmy.
Amira Fahim, a junior majoring in Psychology and IMC, says that she hasn’t taken the vaccine yet, but she will when she gets the chance.
“When it’s available to me, I’ll take the Sinopharm vaccine since I’ve heard that it has fewer side effects. I won’t lose anything if I take it. I’ll feel safer,” said Fahim.
According to the Ministry of Health, people do not get to choose which vaccine they take. Medical personnel decide based on the availability of vaccines at the medical center and an individuals’ history of other diseases.
The MoH is also working on manufacturing some of the vaccines locally.
Zayed previously said that under agreement with the Chinese government, Egypt will begin producing the Sinovac vaccine in June.
Egypt is also expected to manufacture the Russian Sputnik V vaccine by the end of the summer.
