The coronavirus situation in North Macedonia is currently stable and there’s no need for additional restrictions. Lockdowns were enforced when we didn’t have access to vaccines. Now that we do, we should put focus on the vaccination process, Health Minister Venko FIlipche said on Friday.
He added that field and walk-in vaccination starts on Monday.
The Minister told reporters that no new Delta variant cases have been sequenced in labs across the country, aside from those we know about. However, he added, MANU has informed him that there are four possible South African variant cases that should be sequenced.
“Restrictions and lockdowns were enforced when we didn’t have vaccines. Now that we do, we should focus on vaccination to avoid living with restrictions,” Filipche said after the opening of the Red Cross of the Republic of North Macedonia’s Center for Psychological First Aid and Psychosocial Support.
He added that preparations for field vaccination are in the final stages and its implementation is expected to launch soon.
“Currently, there’s no need for new measures because the situation is pretty stable. We should focus on vaccination, not restrictions. England for example, despite new cases, is relaxing measures. Take part in mass vaccination to avoid living with restrictions,” the Minister stressed.
He added that all viruses are prone to mutations, expressing expectations for new coronavirus variants. However, he underlined, this doesn’t mean that we should implement lockdowns and restrictions, but that we should take part in mass vaccination in preparation for future waves, as according to projections, the situation may last for a while.
Minister Filipche noted that so far, some 50% of people over 70 have been inoculated, as well as approximately 40% of those over 60. Therefore, he added, focus should now be put on younger citizens.
The Minister also announced that 100,000 doses of the AstraZeneca jab, donated by Greece, are expected to arrive in North Macedonia on Friday.
