Egypt detected 644 new coronavirus infections on Wednesday, bringing the total infections from the outbreak last year to 180,051. The health ministry also reported 52 new fatalities, bringing total deaths from the virus to 10,495. 389 patients have been discharged from hospitals following recovery in the past 24 hours to mark total recoveries at 139,072. Egypt continues to push with efforts to secure vaccines for its overpopulous population through contracting for a total of 100 million doses through agreements with Geneva-based GAVI vaccine alliance and several drugmakers. Earlier on Wednesday, Egypt has approved the emergency use of the Russian-made Sputnik V vaccine, making it the third vaccine to be authorised for use in the country. In January, Egypt approved the emergency use of the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine. The country has also approved the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, which was manufactured by India's Serum Institute and marketed as Covishield in the Asian country. Hundreds of medical workers in Egypt have been inoculated using the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine as part of the first phase of the country's vaccination campaign, which began in January, with new segments to be inoculated in the coming weeks. Egypt gave the green light to eligible citizens, which include the elderly and those aged 40 and above suffering from chronic diseases, to register for an appointment to receive the vaccine starting Sunday.
