Timor-Leste to receive 500.000 first dose of COVID-19 AstraZeneca vaccine

DILI, 16 june 2021 (TATOLI) – Timor-Leste will receive a total of 500.000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from Australia, Portugal, and Japan, before august 2, informed The Inter-Ministerial Commission for the COVID-19 Immunization.

“Before the 2nd of august, Timor-Leste will receive a total of 500.000 doses of the COVID-19 AstraZeneca vaccine, consisting of 168.000 doses from Japan, 12.000 doses from Portugal, and the rest are from Australia,” the spokesperson of the Inter-Ministerial Commission for the COVID-19 Immunization, Danina Coelho made the comments during a press conference at MSSI office, in Dili, today.

She said the Inter-Ministerial Commission for the COVID-19 Immunization, had altered the National Immunization Strategy to shift the focus of vaccination from Dili to the municipalities.

“We have tried a pilot project of vaccinating up to 5.000 people within two days in Ataúro Island and we want to implement the same thing in the municipalities,” said Coelho.

Coelho said according to the plan of the commission, during the first week of august (2 to 9), the vice-minister of the interior would administer around 30.984 doses of COVID-19 AstraZeneca vaccine in Covalima municipality, up to 32.769 doses would be administered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation (MNEK) in RAEAO, around 45.168 doses would be administered by the Ministry of Defense in Bobonaro, and 65.925 doses would be administered by the Ministry of Health in Ermera.

While the doses for the other municipalities would be carried by other ministries in the following weeks.

Coelho added that next month up to 100.000 doses of the COVID-19 Pfizer vaccine will arrive in Timor-Leste from the COVAX Facility to vaccinate young Timorese people between the ages of 12 to 17.

There has been a total of 10.049 lab-confirmed cases of the virus in Timor-Leste, with 9.213 recoveries, active cases were 810 and 26 deaths, according to data of the CIGC.

In Timor-Leste, of the 754.864 eligible groups, 245.791 (32.6%) had received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Of the number, around 49.277 (6.53%) have also received their second dose of the vaccine.

Journalist: Filomeno Martins

Editor: Rafy Belo