University students will receive a covid-19 vaccine appointment within 24 hours of registering starting today, the Health Ministry announced yesterday as it steps up its efforts to get as many students vaccinated as possible before the beginning of the new academic year next month. Students can go to 830 vaccination clinics and 270 youth centers around the country, which will be able to administer a vaccine within a day of registration, ministry spokesperson Khaled Megahed said.

Some 90% of university lecturers and faculty staff have received at least one shot of a vaccine, Higher Education Minister Khaled Abdel Ghaffar told Youm7 yesterday. Some universities have managed to vaccinate more than half of their students, he said, without giving a total figure.

Covid-19 vaccination was made mandatory for all 18+ year-old students, educators and staff at Egyptian schools and universities in August as part of the government’s back-to-school vaccination drive.

Around 1 mn doses have so far been provided to universities, and another 2 mn doses would be supplied soon, Megahed said in a phone interview with Kelma Akhira’s Lamees El Hadidi (watch, runtime: 10:53) last night, adding that all university students will be offered no-cost QR-code vaccine passports.

In schools: More than 50% of public sector teachers and administrative staff have received at least one dose of a covid vaccine, according to a Health Ministry report picked up by Youm7. Out of 1.6 mn workers, 286k are fully vaccinated, while 541k have received a single jab.

But younger kids aren’t going to be getting jabbed any time soon: Egypt will begin to study the possibility of gradually lowering age limits to vaccinate children within two to three months, Health Ministry Advisor Noha Essam said in another phone call with El Hadidi (watch, runtime: 6:56), adding that Egypt would first look to vaccinate its 20 mn vulnerable citizens who are at greater risk if they catch the virus.

THOSE WALK-IN VACCINATION CLINICS the government announced would open at youth clubs this week? They’re real, according to multiple reports in the domestic press. Youm7 has coverage from clinics in a number of different governorates and Masrawy has video footage from a center in Cairo. We have independently seen centers open for business in Sheikh Zayed and Mansoura.

An app that confirms users’ vaccination status will be launched within days, Megahed told El Hadidi (watch, runtime: 10:53). He also said that the ministry is considering offering booster shots to vaccinated Egyptians who suffer from chronic conditions.

The Health Ministry reported 702 new covid-19 infections yesterday, up from 680 the day before. Egypt has now disclosed a total of 302,327 confirmed cases of covid-19. The ministry also reported 37 new deaths, bringing the country’s total death toll to 17,224.