Does Kosovo have enough vaccines for 2022?

The “In the MSH is a commission that deals with the assessment of the needs and negotiation of their purchase according to the” needs, the Ministry of Health's response, sent to Radio Free Europe, says.

The first vaccines, Kosovo had provided them through donations, while in May 2021 it signed its first contract with Pfizer companies/ B NTech for securing over a million vaccines.

Kosovo has launched the anti-coronvirus vaccine campaign at the end of March 2021. Meanwhile, the third and strengthening dose of vaccine has also begun to be administered on December 9.

The strengthening dosage and the third dose will be available to all people over 18. According to the Health Ministry, citizens will be notified of the date of the vaccine through telephone messages, e-mails and public reports.

The vaccine against the coronobius, according to the Health Ministry, will be sufficient for the third and the strengthening dose.

By January 1st, 2022, 2,093 citizens have received the third dose, while reinforcement doses have taken 10,257.

The strengthening dose is given to citizens three months after taking the second dose of the vaccine.

And the third dose is given to people who have taken two doses of vaccine against COVID-19, but with which inadequate immunity has not developed, as a result of their poor immunity, or associated diseases, at the recommendation of the ordinative doctor.

Over 43 percent vaccinated with two doses

The year 2021 has closed with over 43 percent of Kosovo citizens vaccinated with two doses of vaccine.

Until the year 2021, the Government of Kosovo had been aiming to vaccinate 60 percent of the population, for this year the Ministry of Health says there are some indicators that need to be analyzed before the percentage is established.

“to set more clear objectives requires some deeper analysis and projection as may be the year 2022 in relation to COVIID-19, how will the vaccine with the third dosage and reinforcement take place and what the epidemiological situation in the country, the region and the wider” will be, the MSH response said.

However, according to the Ministry, the focus is that all those citizens who fall into categories should be vaccinated.

In Kosovo, vaccine rights have all persons over 12.

But the number of vaccines under the age of 18.

Within three weeks of November 2021, when the vaccination of these ages started, over 2 thousand children of this age group received Pfizer vaccines/ B NTech vs. Coronervirus.

The Health Ministry has not provided the latest data on the vaccine of this category.

Global health policy research specialist Hannah Xhemajli, in an interview for Radio Free Europe, says that although Kosovo has later begun inoculation is one of the most successful states in the vaccine.

But, according to her, Kosovo expects another problem, such as vaccinating children.

With 18-year-olds and older, we have a good vaccine and if we keep going like this we won't have any problems at all. However, I am afraid of a little vaccination of children for which there is great resistance, even more than of vaccinating adults”, Xhemajli says.

The number of children aged 12 to 15 in Kosovo, according to the Kosovo Statistics Agency, is around 99,000.

The Ministry of Health has distributed information material for child vaccination to schools, and in their view, even this year will be continued with awareness campaigns for the anti - Coronavirus vaccine.

For as long as vaccines need to be given, there is a need for people to have the information they need, especially when they cannot be excluded from the disincentives of those who object to vaccine”, it is said.

Also in the MSH's vaccination management plan, it is unprecedented to make the transition of vaccines from until now, as has been the October1st hall in Pristina and other centres in municipalities, to the Family Medicine Centres.

On December 26th, 2021, Kosovo filed the first cases with the Omitron version of the coronary and closed a year with a quiet epidemiological situation.