Moldova to get first batches of COVID-19 vaccine in mid-February

Chisinau, 30 January /MOLDPRES/- The first batches of vaccine against COVID-19 will arrive in the Republic of Moldova in mid-February. These are 24,570 doses of Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine (Comirnaty) and 264,000 doses produced by Oxford / AstraZeneca. The Ministry of Health, Labor and Social Protection / MSMPS / received today the confirmation of the delivery of vaccines from the COVAX platform.

According to the ministry, the vaccine produced by Pfizer / BioNTech (Comirnaty) will be stored at the National Agency for Public Health, which will ensure the necessary storage conditions at -60 ° C -90 ° C. Subsequently, the vaccines will be distributed to the vaccination points.

The vaccine produced by Oxford / AstraZeneca will be delivered to Moldova in installments, starting with the end of February, for the first and second quarters. This vaccine should be stored at + 2 ° C + 8 ° C.

The COVAX platform is one of three pillars of access to the COVID-19 (ACT) Accelerator (Diagnosis, Treatment and Vaccines) instruments, which was launched in April by the WHO, the European Commission and France in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVAX has received applications to supply COVID-19 vaccine from 72 countries. However, in the first stage, only 18 countries were selected, including the Republic of Moldova.

Moldova will receive free doses of COVAX to vaccinate 20% of the population. Subsequently, the country will procure vaccines through COVAX at a preferential price. The Republic of Moldova joined COVAX in August 2020, through the letter of intent, signed by MSMPS. The application for the vaccine against COVID-19 was sent on 7 December.

photo: euronews.com