The Government will continue to take actions to ensure more doses of vaccine against covid-19, in order to implement the National Vaccination Plan that provides coverage to about 17 million people.
The guarantee was given, yesterday, at the Maputo International Airport, by the Prime Minister, Carlos Agostinho do Rosário, in the act of receiving 484 thousand doses of Covishield vaccine from the pharmaceutical Serum Institute of India. Of this lot, 100 thousand are donated by the Indian Government and the rest arrives in the country as part of the global Covax initiative, through which aims to ensure equitable and fair access to safe and effective immunizers to all countries.
In her speech, Do Rosário assured that the vaccines will be used in a transparent and judicious way, respecting the vaccination plan released last week.
“This vaccine, branded Covishield, which we have just received, is being administered in several countries in Europe, Africa, Asia and America, with the aim of reducing the severe forms and deaths from Covid-19,” he stressed.
Present at the arrival of the vaccine, the ambassador of the European Union, Antonio Gaspar, revealed that Mozambique will receive, in the coming months, another two million doses, under the Covax mechanism.
“The goal is to distribute, until the end of the year, two billion vaccines in the world. So far more than 100 billion euros are being mobilized in this unprecedented initiative for its speed and scope.
The international community is united in identifying available and safe vaccines, organizing the largest immunization campaign in human history,” he added.
The United Nations resident coordinator, Myrta Kaulad, noted, for her part, that women and their children have been disproportionately affected by the crisis generated by the Covid-19 pandemic, having to face hardship while caring for and educating children at home.
He expressed his satisfaction for the multi-lateral efforts and willingness to support Mozambique and called on the population to adhere to the vaccination and the media to spread accurate information about the process.
The Indian Ambassador, Ankan Banerjee, emphasized that the availability of immunizers is the result of joint efforts that the international community has initiated to fight the pandemic. He added that his country has become the “production house” of the world’s vaccines and the drug is a gift from the Indian people to the world.
The ceremony to receive the vaccines was attended by the Minister of Health, Armindo Tiago, the vice-minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Manuel Gonçalves, members of the diplomatic corps of countries that support the Covax mechanism and cooperation partners.
