Vaccination to target more priority groups

Government includes new priority groups in phase two of mass vaccination campaign under way in Romania.

Daniela Budu, 21.01.2021, 14:00

More and more people are getting the Covid vaccine
every day in Romania, and prime minister Florin Cîţu says the country will get
2.4 million doses of vaccine by the end of March. The government has amended
the National Vaccination Strategy to expand the list of priority social groups
targeted by the second phase of the ongoing mass vaccination campaign. Persons
over the age of 65, chronic patients and key workers will thus be joined by the
crew of river and maritime ships, members of diplomatic missions, athletes taking
part in international competitions, the homeless and people with disabilities,
as well as key workers from public institutions. Florin Cîţu explains:

The institutions that are necessary for the functioning
of the state are advised to make a list of key workers who can receive the
vaccine at this stage.

The prime minister said there will also be a so-called
phase 3 A, which may get under way as early as March, targeting private
sector employees whose work involves contact with the public. Florin Cîţu:

Phase three was divided into phase three A and the
standard phase. Three A will target people working in the private sector who
come into contact with the public, such as supermarket or bank employees.

The prime minister also said he hoped Romania will be
able to vaccinate as many as 150,000 people a day and that more than one million
people should receive the second dose by the end of phase two. Phase two began
two weeks earlier because we had a reserve of vaccine. If things go well, we
will speed up phase three as well, explained the prime minister.

Following a high demand for vaccination and the
limited number of existing doses, most counties have run out of available
appointments for the next three weeks. The authorities are planning to open new
centres in every county and say the vaccination campaign is on schedule. In keeping
with Romania’s vaccination strategy and the firm recommendations of the
European Medicines Agency, vaccination centres receive both the first and the
second dose. (CM)