Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said Friday he expects the citizens to accept the vaccination campaign in great numbers, noting it is the only way to combat the pandemic.
“I expect the vaccines to be accepted overwhelmingly in North Macedonia. We are in advantage, so to speak, because we’re late with vaccinating the population. EU countries have started before us and we could follow the advantages and the shortcomings before drawing a conclusion that the vaccines are safe and we should all receive one,” Zaev told journalists.
On Thursday, Health Minister Venko Filipche said that 24,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine will arrive via the COVAX mechanism on Sunday. The PM revealed they had known the information couple of days ago before announcing it publicly.
Zaev said that more jabs are set to arrive via other mechanisms in the coming days, but fell short of announcing any more details.
Speaking to the press in Delchevo, PM Zaev said he hopes that the vaccination schedule of priority groups, drafted by the health commission, will be respected, meaning that after health workers, the elderly and people with chronic illnesses will receive the jabs.
“To vaccinate the census takers before the census starts is also a priority and we also need to take care of our police and our army. We have to act responsibly, because it is the only way to stop the spread of the disease and to combat the pandemic,” he noted urging the citizens to keep adhering to the health safety protocols long after the mass inoculation starts.
