Egypt and 13 other “regional priority” countries will receive some 6 mn doses of covid-19 vaccines from the US, the White House said in a statement on Thursday, without disclosing how the shots will be divided between the countries. The doses are part of the first batch of 25 mn doses the US plans to share, including some 19 mn jabs that will go to the Covax program. “The specific vaccines and amounts will be determined and shared as the administration works through the logistical, regulatory and other parameters particular to each region and country,” the statement read. The US aims to send abroad at least 80 mn doses by the end of June.

The first made-in-Egypt batch of China’s Sinovac vaccine be rolling of the production line within two weeks, Zayed said (watch, runtime 1:35). The ministry said last week that the first batch of doses would be ready by the end of June.

All residents of the Red Sea and South Sinai governorates should be inoculated by 1 July, Health Minister Hala Zayed said in a statement to Extra News (watch, runtime 2:44), after the government concluded the vaccination of all Red Sea tourism workers last week. Some 2.5 mn people — 2.4% of the population — have received at least one jab of a covid-19 vaccine.

Vaccinations will be made available for Egyptians seeking to go on the Hajj pilgrimage this summer, Zayed said in a statement. Only those who are vaccinated or recently recovered from covid-19 will be allowed to perform Hajj and Umrah pilgrimage, Saudi Arabia had said.

The Health Ministry reported 821 new covid-19 infections yesterday, down from 861 the day before. Egypt has now disclosed a total of 267,171 confirmed cases of covid-19. The ministry also reported 41 new deaths, bringing the country’s total death toll to 15,309.

Canada and the United States are going to start mixing jabs for both convenience as AstraZeneca falls out of favour north of the 49th parallel and for longer-term protection against virus variants. Canada will allow people jabbed with AstraZeneca to get Moderna or Pfizer for their second doses, while the US is looking at the best combinations to “counter waning immunity and to keep pace with an evolving virus.” The WSJ and CNN have more.

ALSO- Japan will provide an additional USD 800 mn to the Covax initiative to help fill the USD 1.7 bn funding gap affecting global vaccine distribution, Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga pledged, according to Bloomberg. Egypt is among the countries benefiting from the WHO-backed initiative to provide vaccines to lower-income countries.