El Gouna Residents get their first Covid Vaccine Jab

By Gouna News Reporter - March 31, 2021

Many El Gouna residents received appointment notifications by SMS to come down to Hurghada Al Ahyaa district to receive their first jab of the Covid-19 vaccine.

Those who received the notification had previously registered on the Ministry of Health and Population website that began accepting registrations February 28, 2021.

Priority had been given to workers in the health sector, the elderly and those with pre existing conditions. The web site allows candidates to specify the preferred location of their appointment

Many El Gouna residents were given appointments beginning the week of March 28. I was one of them, and headed down with another Gouna resident, (who’s appointment was on the same day as me), excited to receive the first jab enabling us to claim partial immunity to the Covid virus.

On arrival, lo and behold, many other El Gouna residents were spotted in the outdoor waiting area.

Upon arrival at the Family Care Centerوحدة صحة الاسرة بالاحياء , you are given a number to hold your sequence. We noticed that it took around one hour to process 15 people. It is therefore recommended to get there early to take a low number. The center is open, giving shots, from 9am to 9pm, seven days a week.

Once your number is called , you pass through a four step process: In the first step, documents and identification are checked to match the reservation number on received SMS. In step two, a blood pressure reading is taken, in step three, the jab is administered, step four is a mandatory 15 minute rest before your ID is returned to you and you can leave the centre.

The vaccine given is the Chinese Sinopharm at no cost to Egyptians or Foreigners. The second jab is scheduled three weeks later, to be taken at the same location

It is noteworthy to mention here that El Gouna Hospital does not administer Covid vaccines.