Egypt has received a second batch of Sinopharm, the coronavirus vaccine developed by the Chinese National Pharmaceutical Group, Asharq Al-Awsat reported.

The newspaper quoted health officials as saying the vaccine, which is administered in a two-dose series three weeks apart, will be free of charge with priority given to medical staff, people with chronic diseases and the elderly.

Egyptian Health Minister Hala Zayed did not state how many vaccines the North African country had ordered, but said there would be more shipments in coming days.

Minister of State for Information Osama Heikal confirmed that President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi had ordered that the vaccine be provided to Egyptians free of charge. He said the country was the first in Africa to obtain Sinopharm, and the second Arab state after the United Arab Emirates.

The health minister had personally participated in the initial clinical trials of the Chinese vaccine, Heikal said.

Doctors and other medical professionals in Egypt have however voiced their concerns about the use of the vaccine, according to Mada Masr.

The news outlet reported that doctors were concerned that the results of the trials had not been made public and that Egypt had received only a limited number of doses so far.

The North African country, which has recorded 122,086 confirmed cases of the coronavirus to date, has tightened restrictions aimed at containing its spread ahead of a looming second wave of the pandemic.

Official data shows nearly 7,000 people have died of complications related to the virus in Egypt, while more than 105,000 have recovered.