More than 68,000 citizens have signed up on the government website designated for registration to obtain coronavirus vaccines in the first 24 hours after the site was officially launched on Saturday evening, Khaled Megahed, the spokesperson for the health ministry, told media outlets late Sunday evening. 

The website divided vaccine seekers into three categories: medical workers, chronic disease patients, and elderly without chronic disease.

All citizens above the age of 18 could apply for vaccination online on the website (https://egcovac.mohp.gov.eg/#/home) but the priority would be given to those above 65 and those suffering chronic diseases per the country's vaccination priority list.

According to the instructions of the website, all vaccine seekers are required to provide personal information, name the governorate where they prefer to get the vaccine, and consent to receive the vaccination before submitting the request.

All valid requests will be processed within 72 hours of submission, according to Megahed.

A text message will be sent on mobile phones to people who registered successfully, confirming the date and location for receiving the first shot.

Citizens who cannot access the website could register for vaccination at the nearest hospital.

Egypt has already vaccinated hundreds of medical workers at isolation and triage hospitals nationwide as a first step in the vaccination campaign which began in mid-January.

Some 65 percent of citizens under the age of 30 and around 40 million of those who are above that age group are targeted to be vaccinated by the end of 2021.

Minister of Health Hala Zayed announced last week that citizens will get the two-shot vaccine at a cost of no more than EGP 200 (around $13), with needy families and individuals to be exempt from the charge.

The vaccination campaign currently uses the Chinese Sinopharm and British-Swedish Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines, with each person receiving two shots administered 21 days apart.

Egypt has received 350,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine, and 50,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, both of which were granted emergency use authorisation by the Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA) in January.

The EDA has also approved the emergency use of the Russian-made Sputnik V vaccine last week.