After receiving last night the first 38,400 doses of AstraZeneca through the COVAX mechanism, the Ministry of Health started today the vaccination of teachers and professors all over Albania. During the day, Prime Minister Edi Rama and the Minister of Health Ogerta Manastirliu inspected the vaccination process in the elementary school “4 Dëshmorët” in Tirana, which is only one of many schools all across the country where the vaccination process will be available. Besides the teachers and professors, AstraZeneca will be used also for people over 80 years old, since the Committee of Experts decided that the vaccine can be used for people over 18 years old. According to the Prime Minister, in April Albania will receive 60 thousand more doses of AstraZeneca, and 30 more doses from Pfizer.
Meanwhile, the Head of the Control of Infectious Diseases Department of the Institute of Public Health Silvia Bino while meeting with Prime Minister Rama, declared that there are no reasons to be worried about the vaccine because it is safe. During the last days, AstraZeneca vaccine has caused a lot of debate regarding its safety, and some countries in Europe have suspended its use to investigate over a number of reports of blood clots. On this issue, the World Health Organization declared that “no causal link has been established between the AstraZeneca vaccine and clotting.” Also, according to the European Medicines Agency, the information available until now indicates that the number of thromboembolic events in vaccinated people with AstraZeneca vaccine is no higher than that seen in the general population.
Since the beginning of vaccination, 24,653 vaccinations have been administered among the health personnel, the elderly, and teachers in Albania.
