Today is the second day of the COVID-19 vaccination programme in Albania, with the process being conducted in compliance with the required guidelines and standards at the vaccination centre inside the Air Albania stadium in Tirana. Thanks to the initial batch of 975 Pfizer vaccine doses, the frontline health professionals, doctors, nurses and epidemiologists will be vaccinated to have an extra weapon in the fight against the virus.

The process of administering the vaccine doses to epidemiologists from Tirana, Durres, Kruja and Kavaja started in the early morning to protect the epidemiologist teams that carry out testing of the citizens who show the COVID-19 symptoms. Prime Minister Edi Rama, accompanied by the Minister of Health Ogerta Manastirliu, visited the vaccination centre and closely inspected the ongoing process. 

“The vaccination process yesterday progressed very well. A total of 50 doctors and nurses received the vaccine yesterday. A larger group of doctors and nurses in the two COVID-designated hospitals, namely the Shefqet Ndroqi University Hospital and the Infective Diseases Hospital are receiving the vaccine today and the process will then continue with the two other COVID-designated hospitals. In the meantime, we also started the vaccination of the epidemiologists today. The first group of epidemiologists to receive the vaccine are those from Tirana, Durres, Kavaja and Kruja and the process will expand to include all health workers all over Albania,” Health Minister Manastirliu said.

Adequate measures are already in place to make sure that the Pfizer vaccine preserves all its features and observe strict storage procedures in freezers. “The vaccine has retained all its features of the cold chain. Doses are provided from the Public Health Institute, where there are stored at an ultra cold temperature of -80 degrees Celsius,” Health Minister added.

A total of 60 doctors, nurses and epidemiologists are set to receive the vaccine today, while PM Rama praised the vaccination teams for their work as he closely inspected the vaccination process. “Thank you for your extraordinary work despite being at risk all the time,” PM Rama told an epidemiologist who was receiving the vaccine shot at that moment.