At a time when the public, the opposition, everyone in the country challenged us, we focused all of our efforts to secure vaccines. We talked with dozens of companies, advance payments were made as guarantees, whereas the one for the ‘Sinopharm’ vaccine has already been refunded, said Prime Minister Zoran Zaev on Thursday.

PM Zaev responded to media questions on the procurement of the Chinese vaccines and the related advance payment.

“Prices are well-known to everyone procuring vaccines across the globe and they are the same for our country. If possible, we will declassify all documents so that the Health Minister presents all details. We invested efforts into completing certain advance payments, but as you are aware, this is done upon delivery. This shows that we did everything for sooner delivery of vaccines,” Zaev told reporters after receiving the ‘Sinopharm’ vaccine at the Skopje-based sports hall Boris Trajkovski.

He added that the Government makes all decisions based on information at disposal regarding the vaccine procurement.

“I believe that vaccine prices will go down in the fall because of increased production, but the quantities procured until now correspond to the price levels in other countries,” said Zaev.