Egypt reports 869 new coronavirus cases, 38 fatalities on Friday

CAIRO - 16 October 2021:  The Health Ministry said Friday night that 869 new coronavirus cases were detected, upping the total number of infections since the outbreak in the country to 316,711.

In a statement, Spokesman for the Health Ministry Khaled Megahed said 38 patients have died from the virus over the past 24 hours, raising the death toll to 17,884.

As many as 911 patients were discharged from hospitals after receiving medical care, taking the number of recoveries to 267,355, the spokesman added. 

Egypt received 525,000 doses of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine, adding to tens of millions of doses the country has secured as part of its vaccination campaign.

The Egyptian Authority for Unified Procurement, Medical Supply and the Management of Medical Technology made the announcement.

The authority said all the six vaccines currently available in Egypt are safe and have close efficiency rates, urging all citizens to receive the vaccine as soon as possible.

In remarks to Egypt Today, Khaled Megahed, the Health Ministry Spokesman, said Egypt will manufacture 250 million vaccine doses in 2023.

Megahed said Egypt has secured 60.5 million doses of the Astrazeneca, Sinovac, Sinopharm, Sputnik V, Johnson & Johnson, and Pfizer over the past period.

He added that 5 million Moderna vaccine doses will soon arrive in Egypt.