The vaccination against COVID-19 in the Republic of Moldova will be voluntary and gratis and this immunization will be available only at state institutions, immediately after the vaccines get to the country. Even if the vaccine acceptance rate among the population is for now rather low, the authorities plan to immunize about 70% of the population. Specialists urge the people to have confidence in the vaccines that are to be delivered to Moldova as they were approved internationally, stated epidemiologist the National Public Health Agency Alexei Ceban, being quoted by IPN.
In an online program staged by Mama.md and UNICEF Moldova, the epidemiologist said a number of polls covering the general population were carried out and the results are not very gladdening. The COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rate is of 31%. The margin of sampling error is rather low. Therefore, the authorities will be making effort to increase the acceptance level.
“The people should realize that the vaccine may be not 100% efficient, but it is efficient against severe complications, serious, moderate to grave and extremely grave forms. After being vaccinated, the chance of developing such forms is minimal. The form will be rather asymptomatic or mild,” stated Alexei Ceban.
According to him, about 170 million doses of vaccines have been administered globally so far. As regards the side effects, like in Romania, for example, after 1 million vaccines were administered, there were recorded over 2,000 light and moderate reactions, such as injection pain, fever and myalgia that pass in several days. The percentage of side effects is under 1%. These are expected forms that pass quickly and do not need treatment.
The national vaccination campaign in Moldova will consist of three stages. The first stage will last for about two months and will cover the healthcare workers, personnel and beneficiaries of old people’s homes and placement centers. The second stage will last for three to six months and will embrace persons older than 60 and with comorbidies, personnel of public order, state security and defense institutions and of the penitentiary, education and social services systems. The general population will be vaccinated at the third stage. Until then the authorities hope the awareness and acceptance levels will grow.
Moldova will initially receive 24,500 doses of Pfizer vaccines. The 156,000 to 260,000 doses of Astra Zeneca vaccines are to get to Moldova at end-February. Immediately after the vaccines are stored, the immunization process will start. In time, the quantities will increase. Both of the vaccines will be administered in two doses – Pfizer at a distance of 21 days, while Astra Zeneca at a distance of two to 12 weeks.
For now, the children and pregnant women will not be vaccinated as the two categories weren’t covered by studies.
