Our first 854k-dose batch of Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccines from the Gavi / Covax program has landed in Egypt, Health Minister Hala Zayed said in a statement yesterday. The shipment, which was initially expected to carry 5 mn doses, is the first delivery from a 40 mn-shot order Egypt placed for the vaccine through Covax.

Are we getting another 4 mn doses this month? Zayed did not clarify whether the rest of the 5 mn-dose batch (around 4.15 mn doses) should be delivered, but Ala Mas’ouleety’s Ahmed Moussa suggested last night that they will be delivered sometime in April (watch, runtime: 0:55). The batch was short as the manufacturer is struggling to keep up with global demand.

Have you registered to get your covid-19 vaccine yet? You can still sign up through the ministry’s website and get your shot at one of 138 medical units across the country. There are 33 sites available across Cairo, with another 24 others in Giza and 19 in Alexandria. The ministry is looking to set up 5k medical units and 600 hospitals to administer the vaccines soon.

The Health Ministry reported 699 new covid-19 infections yesterday, up from 693 the day before. The ministry also reported 39 new deaths, bringing the country’s total death toll to 11,995. Egypt has now disclosed a total of 202,131 confirmed cases of covid-19.

Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine is 100% effective at preventing symptomatic covid in 12-15 year olds, according to the results of a study conducted by the companies involving 2.2k teenagers. Pfizer and BioNTech will be seeking clearance of their vaccine for this age group with US regulators in the coming weeks, with a view to inoculating children before the start of the next school year.