The mass vaccination campaign for people aged 70 years and older is in full swing on its eighth day, while the Ministry of Health is making preparations to expand the novel coronavirus vaccine eligibility to people 65 and older and patients with chronic diseases next week. Prime Minister Edi Rama and the Minister of Health and Social Protection Ogerta Manastirliu today visited the concentration vaccination site in the city of Fier, where more than 16,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered to date. Health Minister Manastirliu announced that with the new vaccine shipments scheduled to arrive next week, the vaccine eligibility will be expanded to include younger people.
“We have succeeded in conducting a 100% distribution process of the Sputnik V and Sinovac vaccines. We expect another delivery of the Pfizer vaccine doses to arrive next week and another batch of Sinovac vaccines after two weeks so that we can expand the vaccine eligibility to people aged 65 and older and even 60 years old, as well as to the patients with chronic diseases,” Manastirliu said.
More than 125,000 older adults have already received the vaccine since the start of the inoculation programme. In the meantime, mass vaccine rollout is underway for age groups 70 years and older, on the scene reporters and operators, police officers, who are receiving the jab at the vaccination sites across the country, while the older adults are being given the shot at the nearest health care centres.
Prime Minister Edi Rama also visited the regional Police Directorate in Fier, where a vaccination site has been set up to inoculate police officers there. For the process to be accelerated, the vaccination is being carried out also at police stations in addition to the vaccination sites.
Health Minister informed that more than 1000 police officers have received the vaccine since the process began a day ago and a total of 11.000 policemen will be vaccinated.
Meanwhile, the vaccination of teachers, including teachers in private schools, has completed, and medical personnel have already received the second dose of the vaccine.
