Chinese Consul General says 'Egypt 1st African country capable of manufacturing Covid vaccines'

CAIRO - 27 Septemebr 2020: Egypt is the first African country with potentials to manufacture Covid-19 vaccines, said Chinese Consul General in Alexandria Zhao Liying Sunday.

“We are very happy to see that the production lines of vaccines and masks that have been jointly established by China and Egypt are regularly working,” Zhao said in statements to MENA.

“We are ready to work with friends all over Egypt,” the diplomat said, stressing this should help boost the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

Egypt was the first Arab and African country to establish diplomatic ties with China, Zhao said, adding that this year marks the 65th anniversary of bilateral relations.

She hailed as “strong” relations between Beijing and Cairo, noting that over 65 years the relationship has survived in the face of an ever-changing global landscape.

This relationship with Cairo is a good example of a win-win situation at the Arab and African levels, the diplomat said.

She also talked about joint cooperation to counter the coronavirus pandemic.

The Health Ministry said Sunday night that 680 new coronavirus cases were detected, upping the total number of confirmed cases since the outbreak in the country to 301,625.

In a statement, Spokesman for the Ministry Khaled Megahed said 38 patients have died from the virus over the past 24 hours, raising the death toll to 17,187.

As many as 411 patients were discharged from hospitals after receiving medical care, taking the total number of recoveries to 254,471 so far, the spokesman added.