Egypt detected 618 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, bringing its total infections tally to 175,677 since the outbreak last year.

The health ministry reported 49 new deaths, bringing overall fatalities from the virus nationwide to 10,150.

Also, 411 patients have been discharged from hospitals over the past 24 hours to mark total recoveries at 136,081.

Egypt has received tens of thousands of coronavirus vaccine doses and has vaccinated hundreds of health workers in quarantine hospitals. It is also taking steps to provide vaccine doses for medical teams nationwide.

The state plans soon to vaccinate old people and people suffering from chronic diseases as part of the targeted priority groups.

Egypt also seeks to localise the manufacture of the vaccine developed by China’s Sinovac and to become a hub for exporting vaccine doses to African states.

On Wednesday, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi called for securing fair and just access to vaccine doses for African nations, as he spoke during a meeting under the auspices of the African Union.