Statement by Prime Minister Edi Rama on provision of 500,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer: 

 

On New Year’s Eve, Albania has formally secured the initial batch of 500,000 doses of the COVID-vaccine developed by the pharmaceutical company Pfizer. My New York shopping has ended successfully.

We have agreed through a normative act to authorize the contract according to the agreement formally confirmed by the company Pfizer. The payment for the agreed quantity will be made immediately based on Pfizer’s standard terms and procedure the company applies to all countries without exception.

The first 10 750 doses under this contract will be delivered to Albania at the beginning of the third week of January.

The remainder of 30 250 doses will be delivered in February and the upcoming deliveries will be provided constantly each month according to the immunisation plan.

This is the best possible start of this critical year in the efforts to finally repulse the invisible enemy, but surely this is not the end of our effort to make sure that we lack no dose of vaccine until the end. We will continue to try, as we have persistently and relentlessly tried in all directions, until late last night, so that the immunisation plan with COVID vaccine is carried out as planned, without any obstruction or slowdown because of the lack of required doses.

I also inform you that in recent days we have also secured the readiness of two partner countries to provide us with a total of 9000 vaccine doses in the first half of January. I can’t name them, because we don’t know for sure today whether the new dynamics created under the formal deal with Pfizer would affect or not finalization of these solidarity operations from two friendly governments, which haven’t left us alone in these times fearsome egoism and cynicism for the continent we live in, when the green light that was lit last night had yet to be seen.

We are in the meantime negotiating with two other nations to secure another delivery of vaccines produced Pfizer and AstraZeneca. I believe we will very soon clearly know the outcome of these negotiations. We will definitely inform you immediately, if and when they materialize, but I am very grateful to them, although none of these two countries rank among the wealthiest in Europe, but have been generous enough to consider our pleas seriously.

I believe we have overcome in record time – given the extremely disadvantaged position we started from – the chasm caused right at the heart of Europe by the absurd, morally unacceptable, politically incomprehensible and logically unjustifiable decision made by the European Union.

As a person, I was indignant and as an European I felt ashamed, whilst as the Prime Minister of Albania I felt motivated now more than ever to make sure that Albanians do not feel themselves as outcast and being denied the opportunity to enjoy protection from death threat concurrently with other Europeans amid this world war.

We took a leap in the dark and we came ashore without any help from the EU and, unlike the EU’s bad example, we won’t turn our back on Kosovo by abandoning the country in the anxious and tormenting waiting for the vaccine delivery. We can’t definitely solve all this great trouble for our sisters and brothers on the other side of the border, but we will not hesitate to sincerely and concretely deal with the plight we have just started to tackle for ourselves. We will donate a quantity to Kosovo for the vaccination of the frontline doctors and nurses at the COVID-designated hospital in Pristina, so that Kosovo’s heroes of the line of fire can start the vaccination concurrently with our heroes in Tirana.

I asked the Minister of Health to communicate immediately with her Kosovo counterpart, so that we can decide about the possible delivery of the vaccine for the COVID-designated hospital staff in Pristina. Although we are neither rich, nor have we crossed this sea where we are still leaping in the dark, it is not in our tradition as Albanians, it cannot be and should never be in our way of life, nor in this selfish world, turning our backs on the other in need, or when we are through the same predicament like others.

The year that finally ended along with its incredible difficulties actually represented a great opportunity to stop playing politics and come together both in the wake of the earthquake and the efforts to protect the citizens’ lives. However, it is never too late to do the right thing and I wish others would do the same; separate politics from health and from earthquake and contribute at least by stopping the useless avalanche of excessive talk about such existential topics.

In the meantime, we won’t waste time with nobody who has time to waste, because securing the vaccine, without waiting for the EU to think about it, for us it was a tremendous challenge, but management of the inoculation process, too, is not an easy challenge. Taking notice of what we are seeing and hearing from more developed countries, this was a huge challenge in itself. I can affirm we are well-prepared to set up the vaccination infrastructure on time, about which the Ministry of Health has already drafted the strategy and scheduled plan of the process. Likewise, work is already underway for several weeks now on the projects on the vaccination centres across Albania. The first centre will open in Tirana at Air Albania Stadium, where everything will be ready in few days’ time with a vaccination centre that meets best technical and professional standards to welcome the beneficiary groups according to the implementation plan of the immunisation campaign “Albania Smiles.”

“Albania smiles” will be the motto of this state and human campaign, thanks to which we will return to Albania this year the smile taken hostage by the invisible enemy last year.

The vaccine will be offered for free and it won’t be mandatory, but undoubtedly receiving the vaccine is advisable to all as the only decisive weapon in this great, long and arduous war for families, society, the state.

As we have already stated, based on international practice, vaccination will start first with the healthcare workers, then teachers, police officers and adults over 75 years old. The immunisation campaign will then continue according to a chart to include younger ages.

I feel extremely relieved today following the agreed deal on the COVID vaccine. Finally, I was able to go to sleep for few hours after the midnight, even though it was the night when adults usually stay up until morning and I am happy to be able to give you today, on the first day of the New Year, this joyful news of equipping Albania with armaments that will annihilate the invisible enemy.

Be this news a fantastic omen for a smiling year for Albania and Albanians and the exemplary proof of the fact that we have left the worst behind us and the best is ahead of us. Happy New Year!