Opening of “Your Vaccine is Your Weapon” symposium at Ain Shams University

Community Service and Environmental Development Affairs Sector in cooperation with the Education and Student Affairs Sector at Ain Shams University headed by Prof. Dr. Mahmoud Al-Metini organized a symposium entitled “Your Vaccine is Your Weapon” in the presence of Prof. Dr. Muhammad Awad Taj El-Din, Advisor to the President for Health and Prevention, Prof. Dr.. Abd El-Fattah Saoud, Vice President of the University for Education and Student Affairs and Prof. Dr. Hisham Tamraz, Vice President for Community Service and Environmental Development, and Prof. Dr. Ayman Saleh, Vice President for Postgraduate Studies and Research, Prof. Dr. Ashraf Omar, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, and Prof. Dr.. Jihan Ragab, Professor at the Faculty of Business, Advisor to the Vice President of the University for Community Service and Environmental Development, and Coordinator of the Symposium, and Prof. Dr. Shahira Samir, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Medicine for Community Service and Environmental Development Affairs, and Prof. Dr. Osama Mansour, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Medicine for Postgraduate Studies and Research, and Prof. Dr. Hebatuallah El-Saeed, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Medicine for Education and Student Affairs, and a group of faculties’ deans, vice deans, professors, administrators and students.

The symposium was moderated by Prof. Dr. Heba Shaheen, Professor and Head of the Department of Communication and Media Sciences at the Faculty of Arts and Director of the University Media Center. The symposium was held under the supervision of Mr. Suhail Hamza, Assistant Secretary of the University for Community Service and Environmental Affairs.

The symposium began with a speech by Professor Dr. Mahmoud El-Metini, welcoming the guests, praising the efforts of the Egyptian state in facing the pandemic, and also referring to the role of the university and its hospitals in dealing with the current conditions to provide the highest level of protection for the university community.

In his speech, Prof. Dr. Hisham Tamraz indicated that the symposium comes within the framework of Ain Shams University efforts to face the pandemic in light of the challenges the world is facing as a result of facing this tough widespread virus that has left an impact on various levels, pointing out that social awareness of getting vaccinated has become an urgent necessity which the reason prompted the holding of this symposium to answer, through experts and specialists in the field, a lot of questions on this subject.

During his speech, Prof Dr. Muhammad Awad Taj El-Din said that Egypt is a respectable large country, praising the pioneering Egyptian experience in dealing with the pandemic, as the State allocated 100 billion pounds to support the health sector, and referred that Egypt had a previous experience in dealing with global viruses, including avian influenza, swine flu and SARS, which stated that increasing the cumulative Egyptian experience for the health sector in Egypt.

He added that the Egyptian State allocated 450 million dollars to provide all types of internationally approved vaccines, thanks to its political relations, at the time that the entire African continent did not get 5% of its share of vaccines.

He stated that there are 88 chest and fever hospitals nationwide, pointing out that from 80% to 85% of cases infected with the virus are considered moderate cases and only 15% are severe cases.

He said the importance of social awareness of the need to get vaccinated, stressing that they are all safe, and warned of the need to speed up getting vaccinated, especially in light of the fourth wave that is about to reach its peak.

In her speech, Prof. Dr. Fatima Ali El-Din, Professor of Infectious and Endemic Diseases in the Faculty of Medicine at Ain Shams University, spoke about the importance of the vaccine for all ages in creating acquired immunity within the body, which is reflected in the creation of immunity within society as a whole.

She reviewed the history of vaccines since 1796, since the emergence of the smallpox vaccine by its discoverer Edward Jeans, as well as a vaccine against polio, pointing out that the Corona virus differs from other viruses in its speed and intensity of spread.

She stressed the safety and importance of children getting vaccinated and that most countries of the world, such as the United States of America, Europe, the United Arab Emirates and others, vaccinate children from 5 to 12 years old.

In her speech, Prof. Dr. Elham Hosny, Professor of Pediatrics in Faculty of Medicine at Ain Shams University, indicated the safety of the vaccine and reviewed the risks and benefits, especially for infants, children and pregnant women, and from there to fetuses, refuting some of the widespread rumors and ado about the vaccine, including problems that may result in fertility in women or men and other Rumors. She confirmed that all of this is transmitted and totally unscientific, and one of the biggest indications of the safety and success of vaccination is the clear decrease in the number of deaths after the spread of vaccination worldwide, confirming the CDC’s recommendation to vaccinate pregnant and lactating women.

Prof. Dr. Samia Abdo, Director of the Infection Control Unit and Deputy Director of University Hospitals, reviewed the vaccination plan at Ain Shams University, where 87,334 people received the two doses and 204,269 received one dose, noting that the possible side effects of vaccination go away with rest and a simple antipyretic.