The Health Ministry reported 622 new covid-19 infections yesterday, up from 591 the day before. Egypt has now disclosed a total of 187,716 confirmed cases of covid-19. The ministry also reported 44 new deaths, bringing the country’s total death toll to 11,082.

Russia will begin manufacturing its Sputnik V vaccine in Europe for the first time, after Switzerland’s Adienne Pharma & Biotech signed an agreement with Russia’s sovereign wealth fund to produce the vaccine in its Italy plant, according to Sputnik. Russia is also in talks to produce the shot — which is yet to receive EU approval — in Germany and France.

We’re still in line, too: Russian diplomats had previously said the country is open to handing Egypt the production technology to locally manufacture the vaccine, with the hopes that Egypt could act as an export hub to Africa.

The elite are hitting up the UAE for a vaccine wasta: Business moguls, royals, and politicians are getting vaccinated in the UAE through connections — including senior officials or royal family members — despite some being non-residents, the Financial Times reports, quoting officials. The UAE has enough vaccines for its entire population, but typically only gives them out to residents. Among those that took or were offered a vaccine after arriving on private jets and booking stays in Dubai’s luxury hotels: UK financier Ben Goldsmith, London-based SoftBank executives, and Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi.

And as we noted earlier this week, vaccine tourism can get you canned, as the head of Canada’s pension fund — and one of the world’s largest investors — found out.

Sudan kicked off its inoculation campaign with frontline workers yesterday after becoming the first MENA country to receive the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine through the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Gavi / Covax initiative, state news agency SUNA said.