Second vaccination stage
Romania enters the second stage of the vaccination campaign, targeting people at high risk and those working in key sectors
Eugen Coroianu, 15.01.2021, 14:00
Romania has entered the second stage of coronavirus vaccination, for the high-risk population and workers in key, essential areas. The first category includes adults over the age of 65, as well as people with chronic diseases, regardless of age, depending on the indications of the vaccines used. The chronic diseases category includes diseases such as: diabetes, obesity and other metabolic diseases, cardiovascular, kidney, lung or liver diseases, oncological, neurological and autoimmune diseases, severe immunosuppression, patients undergoing biological or long-term therapies with corticosteroids, HIV / AIDS patients.
The second category includes the key personnel for the functioning of state institutions (Presidential Administration, Parliament, Government, ministries and institutions subordinated to them); personnel in the field of defence, public order, national security and the judiciary; staff in vital economic sectors: processing, distribution and marketing of staple foods; water distribution plants, water treatment plants, transportation and distribution; production, transport and distribution of electricity, gas, liquid and solid fuels, medicines and sanitary materials; transport of persons and goods; railway hubs, civil and military airports, essential ports; communications (National Telecommunications Service, National Radio and Television); school and nursery staff; postal and courier staff; the staff of religious denominations, media personnel engaged in activities with an increased risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 infection; sanitation and waste disposal personnel.
Those who want to register for vaccination can use several means, including a special online platform. The first stage, which ended on Thursday, covered employees in the medical and social fields. More than 160,000 people were immunised, with nearly six hundred common and minor side effects reported. Romania mainly uses the vaccine produced by Pfizer-BioNTech but a first instalment from Moderna arrived in the country on Wednesday.Both vaccines are authorised, contracted and delivered by the European Union.
“Mass vaccination is the only solution to get back to normal as soon as possible and to resume safely all the activities we have greatly missed in the last year,” President Klaus Iohannis said in a press conference on Tuesday. He also said that the success of the vaccination campaign is essential for both the recovery of the economy and the avoidance of severe crises, the effects of which can leave deep scars in society. (M. Ignatescu)
