Two healthcare workers will be the first ones to receive a COVID-19 shot in the Skopje-based modular hospital at 10 am on Wednesday, as the immunization process begins in North Macedonia. The hospital includes six vaccination posts, open from 8 am to 8 pm, where the vaccination will be carried out by the medical staff of the Skopje Health Center.
According to Health Minister Venko Filipche, Wednesday’s start of the COVID-19 vaccination in the country launches the final stage in the fight against the pandemic.
On the first day, 260 healthcare workers are to receive the jab, out of a total of 4,000 who have registered for vaccination. Once each healthcare worker gets a COVID-19 shot, a second dose will be reserved.
“It seems that we will be one of the few countries in Europe to vaccinate all health workers in 10 days time,” Filipche told Sitel TV on Tuesday.
He said the remaining doses of the Pfizer vaccine are set to arrive from Serbia next week, with the Chinese vaccines expected by the end of February.
According to the vaccination plan, between 2,000 and 4,000 people are to be inoculated every day.
So far, over 70,000 citizens have registered to receive the COVID-19 vaccine – 50,000 people via the website vakcinacija.mk, while 23,808 people have applied through their family practitioners.
The first batch of 4,680 out of 8,000 Pfizer vaccines, a donation from Serbia, arrived on Sunday. Another 200,000 vaccines produced by the Chinese company Sinopharm should arrive by the end of February.
Ahead of the vaccination launch, the Institute of Public Health has registered a rising number of new COVID-19 cases compared to the previous week. According to its weekly report, a total of 16,299 swabs were tested in labs equipped to detect SARS-CoV-2 presence from Feb. 8 to Feb. 14, up 13.2%, the Ministry of Health said Tuesday.
Forty-three fatalities were reported in 14 cities, a decrease of 34.8% compared to the previous week.
A total of 2,519 people were registered as recovered patients, down 24.2% compared to the previous week.
No further restrictions are mulled to prevent the spread of the British COVID-19 variant, said Health Minister Venko Filipche on Tuesday.
“The numbers are low and there is no hike in cases across the country. We are monitoring the situation in Skopje and other cities, the share of the British variant is rising to about 20 percent, mostly in Prilep and Ohrid. However, the number of cases has not risen there. There are about 30 variants detected in our country, out of the nearly 1,000 across the globe,” Minister Filipche told Sitel TV.
He said the epidemiological situation in the country is not worsening for the time being, but developments are closely monitored.
“We have continually urged citizens to adhere to the measures, because it is of exceptional significance at this moment,” noted Filipche.
According to Tuesday’s report of the Health Ministry, out of 2,275 COVID-19 tests carried out in North Macedonia in the previous 24 hours, 358 new cases were registered, 341 patients recovered and 5 died.
A total of 489,991 COVID-19 tests have been conducted so far in the country.
Since the onset of the epidemic, North Macedonia has registered 97,456 confirmed coronavirus cases, while 88,301 patients have recovered.
The death toll has reached 3,003.
At the moment, there are 6,152 active cases across the country, of which 2,767 in the capital Skopje.
total of 609 people are treated for coronavirus-related complications in infectious diseases wards nationwide, the Ministry of Health said Tuesday in a daily report on admissions in the past 24 hours.
Of these, 352 patients are hospitalized across the country, while 257 in Skopje-based COVID units.
There is enough oxygen for patients who need it, and the number of available beds in COVID centers is 452, theHealth Ministry said in a press release on Tuesday.
In addition, North Macedonia has reported a total of 539 flu cases in the 2020/2021 season, i.e. 92.5% fewer compared to the same period last year, and 94.5% fewer than what is typically reported, the Ministry of Health said Tuesday. Flu cases are down this season both due to COVID-19 precautions and the seasonal flu vaccination as the most effective protection against this disease.
