2020-11-24 20:43 update: 2020-11-27, 15:18
Fot. PAP/Wojciech Pacewicz
Poland has signed contracts to secure enough Covid-19 vaccinations for over 30 million people, or the entire adult population.
Adam Niedzielski, the health minister, said on Tuesday that the government had signed contracts with three producers, and that distribution centres would be set up at regional blood donation and haemotherapy centres.
"We have guaranteed vaccinations for almost 34 million people," Niedzielski said, adding that two out of three of the vaccines had initial results indicating 90 percent resistance. "This is the main criterion."
He added the second criterion was the speed of delivery and the fastest would be the Oxford vaccine and Pfizer's.
Niedzielski said that vaccination would not be compulsory because “it is no secret that people have doubts" about the vaccines because they are new to the market.
But he gave his assurance that the government would do everything to clarify any doubts and convince people of the safety of the vaccinations. The first people to be vaccinated will be senior citizens, medical staff and the uniformed services.
The health minister told public radio that there was a European purchase mechanism whereby the European Commission represented all member states and negotiated with producers on their behalf to buy the drugs, which were then distributed according to the populations of individual countries. (PAP)
