Moldova's National Extraordinary Public Health Commission approves national plan on anti-COVID-19 immunization

Chisinau, 13 January /MOLDPRES/ - The National Extraordinary Public Health Commission (CNESP) today approved the national plan on anti-COVID-19 immunization; the plan was worked out by specialists of the public health sector, with the support of the World Health Organization, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

The document approved today establishes the components of the national anti-COVID-19 vaccination strategy and describes the general process of organization of residents’ vaccination.

Thus, according to the authorities, the plan’s implementation will ensure the efficient administration of an anti-COVID-19 vaccine to the people from Moldova for whom this vaccine is indicated and who want to receive it. In the first phase, the medical sector employees, as well as the beneficiaries of the social assistance services will be immunized.  

The second stage provides for the vaccination of adults older than 60 years, persons with comorbidities, employees of the structures for maintaining and insuring the public order, state’s defence and security and penitentiary system’s employees.  

In the third phase, the general population will be immunized, no matter the age, which was not included in the first stages. The anti-COVID-19 vaccine will be administered at the Public Medical and Sanitary Institutions for free and the government will fully finance the purchasing of vaccines and consumables, as well as of the services provided within the national immunization programme.  

The document also establishes that the national authorities will make sure that all vaccines due to be imported to Moldova are approved and provide the highest safety and efficiency. At the first stage, Moldova will receive free of charge, through COVAX, anti-COVID-19 vaccine for 20 per cent of all residents from both banks of Dniester. Subsequently, the government will be able to additionally request, through the Cost-Sharing COVAX programme, doses for another 30 per cent of the population. At the same time, Moldova is in process of getting quantities of qualitative vaccine as donations on behalf of EU and other states.      

photo: agora.md