Pfizer vaccine arrives, Rama: 'They are less than expected, but the second vaccination starts anyway'

Prime Minister Edi Rama informed the media that the first doses of the vaccine from the contract with the company Pfizer are expected to come tonight, while he added that the authorities are at the end of the agreement with the company AstraZeneca.

"We have only one shift in time, as the first doses of Pfizer will come in the third week of January and according to the latest confirmation the first doses arrive tonight at dinner and will continue in stages and we are very close to a final agreement with AstraZeneca. "We are continuing our contacts with several countries, there are 3 countries with which we continue contacts and we are on the right track", he said ( via Euronews.al).

Asked about the number of vaccines, Rama said:

"I do not have it at the moment, because I want to give an exact figure, what will be the doses that will arrive today. February will be a month of clarity over the whole process. "Today there will be fewer doses than they were promised, but the important thing is that the second vaccination starts."

In an interview with Open in mid-January, Rama explained how to proceed with Pfizer doses. "We have guaranteed 500 thousand doses [from Pfizer]. 10,780 will come in January. Another 30,000 in February. "We have planned with three scenarios to close it in 14 months," he said.

Among other things, he focused on the contract with COVAX.

"Negotiations and talks are taking place on all sides between the parties, because some places are more covered and others are uncovered. In fact, our region has been left uncovered because it is not included in the European Union distribution scheme, while we have prepaid like others the COVAX platform. [COVAX, a global initiative that brings together governments and manufacturers to ensure that Covid-19 vaccines reach those most in need]. Hopefully it will be unlocked at some point. "But there are a number of countries in our region that have not started vaccination because they are waiting for COVAX, while we have done the parallel work."

The first doses of the vaccination process, 957 exactly, were donated to Albania by a European country, whose name was kept secret .