Measures to boost vaccination

Romania is stepping up its Covid vaccination campaign with the opening of 180 new vaccination centres.

Eugen Coroianu, 09.02.2021, 13:50

The pace of vaccination will speed up in Romania as
deliveries of the Oxford- AstraZeneca vaccine have started to arrive. The vaccine
will be administered from 15th February and 180 new vaccination hubs
are being set up. Appointments will become available on Wednesday to persons eligible
under Phase two, namely people with chronic diseases and essential workers. Appointments
can be made individually on the dedicated electronic platform, by GPs or by
calling a special hotline. In Romania the AstraZeneca vaccine will for the time
being only be administered to adults aged between 18 and 55. So far, Romania
has mainly used the Pfizer/BioNTech and, since more recently, the Moderna
vaccine.

To boost the immunisation process, the government has
taken a series of measures with respect to the recruitment and payment of the
vaccination staff. Consequently, healthcare facilities within the army will also
be able to set up vaccination hubs, their funding being covered by the state
budget. Moreover, financial incentives will be given to GPs who register their
patients for vaccination and monitor their state of health. The healthcare
staff working in vaccination centres must, however, respect the appointments
made on the official platform and only give the vaccine to the eligible
persons.

While nationwide the opening of the new centres appears
to be on schedule, problems have been recorded in some regions. In Vrancea
county, in the east, for example, two vaccination hubs could not be set up
because of a shortage of staff. The county prefect says that despite the
existence of legislation on the payment of doctors to deliver the vaccine, the
latter do not wish to take part.

According to a recent opinion poll, 55% of Romanians
say they want to receive the Covid vaccine this year and believe mass immunisation
will put an end to the pandemic. 83% say, however, that vaccination is a personal
choice and almost three quarters believe the benefits of vaccination are
greater than the risks. Romania has the 14th highest vaccination rate
in the world, with 4.41 doses administered to 100 persons, which is above the
European average. (CM)