Prime Minister Zoran Zaev expects some 300,000 COVID-19 vaccines from different manufactures to be delivered to North Macedonia in April, ensuring the mass inoculation process is uninterrupted. He added that vaccination sites are currently not working at capacity, but once they start, additional ones will be set up in the capital and across the country.
“We’re expecting over 300,000 COVID-19 jabs to be delivered to North Macedonia in April, including the first batch of EU’s vaccines for the Western Balkans. 20-25,000 of these will hopefully arrive in the next few days or next week,” Zaev said.
He underlined expectations that the first batch of the 8,000 Pfizer vaccines, as well as the second batch of those via the COVAX facility will arrive in North Macedonia in April. According to Zaev, 200,000 Chinese jabs and a batch of the 200,000 Sputnik V shots are also expected to be delivered to the country over the course of the month.
Lack of vaccines, the PM noted, is a global challenge.
“Our job is to take case of citizens, cure the sick, ensure the system works and receive positive response from vaccination because one thing is clear – it will help us defeat the pandemic. Therefore, it hasn’t crossed my mind to hand in my resignation or ask the Health Minister, who is working closely with health workers in the best interest of public health, to quit,” Zaev told reporters during a press conference on Thursday.
He added that once North Macedonia has enough jabs and vaccination sites are at capacity, new ones will be set up.
“2,800 vaccines were administered at the Boris Trajkovski arena on the first day of mass immunization, but the site has the capacity to inoculate 5-6,000 people daily. Health facilities at the moment can also double vaccination capacity. Once current vaccination sites are at capacity, new ones will be set up to ensure the success of the mass inoculation process,” the Prime Minister underlined.
He also told the news briefing that the government is discussing establishing two separate HQs, one in charge of ensuring efficient transportation, reception and distribution of vaccines across the country and the other focused on organizing the vaccination process.
