DILI april 5, 2021 (TATOLI) – Timor-Leste receives first batch of AstraZeneca’s vaccine totaling 24,000 doses, provided by COVAX Facility arriving today with Indonesian Airlines “my Indonesia” chartered by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
The Director General of Health Service, Odete Viegas, said the first segments of the population that will receive the 24.000 doses will be health workers, elders and people with chronic diseases.
“We hope that the 24,000 doses of vaccines will be able to cover the front-line team. According to the plan, the launch of the vaccine is scheduled to April 7. Then, we will distribute doses to municipalities for two weeks and carry out the vaccination there”, Ms Viegas said.
The Ministry of Health has already designated several hospital units as vaccination sites. Comprise of four health centers and the National Hospital of Guido Valadares (HNGV).
The advocacy team has prepared the receipt of the vaccine and will inform the public regarding the vaccination mechanism. “The Vaccinated people will receive a card with a record of the date of the first and second doses, which will be administered at an interval of about eight to 12 weeks,” She said.
The arrival of the first batch of vaccines in Dili is scheduled for today, April 5th, around 1:00 pm. Before his arrival, the inter-ministerial team had already dealt with six matters to start the vaccination plan, including the legal issues, estimation of the number of doses required, proper functioning of the refrigeration system, adverse reactions to the vaccine, monitoring and evaluation.
It is recalled that UNICEF, with the assistance of the Global Alliance for Vaccines (GAVI, in English), has already installed a refrigeration chamber and a cold room in the warehouse of the Autonomous Service for Medicines and Health Equipment (SAMES). The chambers will make it possible to increase the storage capacity of vaccines in the country.
The launch of the first vaccination phase will begin on April 7, when World Health Day is celebrated.
Journalist: Maria Auxiliadora
Editor: Zezito Silva
