Work is underway in full swing to set up the first centre for COVID-19 vaccination at Air Albania stadium in Tirana. Frontline doctors and nurses at the four COVID-designated hospitals in Tirana represent the first contingent to benefit protection through the vaccine as part of the first phase of the vaccination drive that is set to continue then with immunisation of health professionals at emergency departments and intensive care units. A detailed explanation on the vaccination procedures due to be observed at the first centre for the COVID-19 vaccination was provided by the Minister of Health and Social Protection Ogerta Manastirliu as she accompanied Prime Minister Edi Rama during a visit to the Air Albania stadium, where preparations from storage to logistics are underway so that the vaccination begins as soon as the vaccine arrives.

“We are now making preparations for the logistics, while a plan has been already drafted to administer the initial vaccine delivery to the high-risk groups, starting with doctors and nurses. We are readying entire infrastructure and the organizational plan here at National Arena. The first vaccination booths and pods have been already set up along with all relevant elements. We have planned every detail on how to notify the individuals who will receive the vaccine first, the protocols due to be applied before entering the vaccination booth, and their registration. Preliminary measures on the safety elements have been taken, since this is a very important aspect of the process, starting with the first vaccination pods,” Manastirliu said.

“A series of processes will take place. The individuals due to receive the vaccine will stay first at the pre-vaccination waiting area, where a doctor will fill up the medical records of each of them. Then the vaccine will be administered and people will sit for 30 minutes of observation to check their condition after receiving COVID-19 vaccine. The team of doctors and nurses who administer the vaccine to individuals, as well as the coordinators will facilitate the entire process. Emergency medical teams will be employed to monitor any potential adverse event following immunisation in post-vaccination observation area. As many as 20 post-vaccination observation areas have been set up to date. A total of post-vaccination observation areas will be set up along entire stretch of the Arena’s ring. We project to administer the vaccine to 60 or more people in one hour and work will continue for eight to ten hours a day. According to our plan, the first vaccines will be administered to the high-risk groups. We have already compiled the list of doctors and nurses at the four COVID-designated hospitals, who will be vaccinated initially, and the process will then go on with the vaccination of the health professionals at emergency departments and intensive care units,” Health Minister Manastirliu elaborated, adding “we are currently at a stage when the teams are being trained, as the new vaccine requires training of all teams and we are training all those who will be part of this process, which will be the next challenge we will face.”

In the meantime, work is also underway to gradually set up other centres for the COVID-19 vaccination drive.

“In addition to Tirana, such vaccination centres will be established in the cities of Vlora and Shkodra according to our schedule and after the required training process to open then centres for the COVID-19 vaccination all over the country. Most importantly, we have developed storage capacities for a total of 30.000 doses of the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine. In other words, we have built a cold storage capacity for 30.000 doses of the vaccine, while work is underway to enhance storage capacities. We have already secured ultra-cold freezers to maintain temperature at -20 degrees Celsius thanks to the Albanian government investments in the storage facilities of the University Hospital Centre, the National Agency for Drugs and Medical Devices, and the Public Health Institute. As far as the storage capacities for the network of Astra Zeneca vaccine, which can be stored at refrigerated temps of 4 degrees to 8 degree Celsius, this is part of the entire network of hospitals and healthcare centres that posses adequate storage capacities. This vaccine can also be administered very easily,” Health Minister said.

A significant work will be done in collaboration with the National Agency of Information Society to register all individuals who receive the vaccine. “We are working with the National Agency of Information Society to gather as soon as possible data and create online vaccination records on all those who will receive the vaccine in the initial phase of the vaccination process. We will also provide a vaccination card to all of those who take the COVID-19 jabs, and the cards will indicate the date when the vaccine was administered, the appointment date for the second vaccine dose in 21 days. The second dose will be administered in the same way the first dose was administered,” Manastirliu went on saying.

On his part, Prime Minister Edi Rama announced that the vaccination process could begin earlier than planned thanks to the intense diplomatic efforts in many directions. “In any case, we will start the vaccination process in the third week of January, but we hope that the process can begin earlier, because we are communicating in all directions and we are confident that the process will begin as soon as possible thanks also to some preferential channels we have opened. I would like to tell everyone that we have ushered in a very positive phase in terms of the perspective of this war. We have secured 500,000 vaccine doses and in the meantime we have secured a vaccination trend that corresponds to the strategy and the scheduled plan. We will definitely not wait, but we will immediately support the COVID-designated hospital in Pristina, the entire structure of the Infectious Diseases Hospital. We will monitor how things will proceed step by step for the rest of the population in our country and we will definitely stand by them without any hesitation. What matters most is the fact that all preparations have been made for this process and since the very beginning we do not lag behind in terms of what is to come, and we will always be one step ahead. This is what matters most,” PM Rama said.