“Within days, the authorities will approve the Vaccination Plan in Portugal and this is the great hope factor in the fight against covid-19”, commented Luís Marques Mendes this evening, in his usual notes at SIC.
The political analyst anticipated the answers to the main doubts facing the Portuguese:
How many vaccines are we going to have? In principle 6:
– BioNTech/Pfizer
– Astrazeneca / Oxford University
– Modern
– Johnson & Johnson- Janssen
– Sanofi-GSK
– Curevac
How many are already being evaluated by the EMA? 3:
– BioNTech/Pfizer
– Astrazeneca / Oxford University
– Modern
– Different in type, price and storage conditions but all with high efficiency.
– In contrast, the flu vaccine is between 40% and 45% effective.
When will they be approved by the EMA?
– The first vaccines may be approved as early as next December.
When will they start arriving in Portugal?
– The first doses will arrive as early as next January.
– Pfizer’s calendar is for gradual delivery between January and September 2021.
– Moderna’s calendar is for delivery between February and the end of 2021.
– For other vaccines there is no delivery schedule yet.
Is vaccination free?
– Yes, vaccination is universal and free for all Portuguese.
– Vaccination is not mandatory but there will be an awareness campaign.
How many doses should each person take?
– Regarding the 3 vaccines already being evaluated by EMA (Pfizer, Astrazeneca and Moderna), there are 2 doses per person.
– Taken with an interval of 3 to 4 weeks between the 1st and 2nd dose.
– The Johnson & Johnson-Janssen vaccine (later) will be taken in one dose.
What are the first social and professional groups to be vaccinated?
– Seniors
– Home residents
– Home professionals
– Health professionals
– Security forces
– Civil protection
How many doses will Portugal receive? In total, about 22 million doses, delivered in stages:
– 4.5 million from BioNTech / Pfizer;
– 6.9 million from Astrazeneca / Oxford University;
– 4.5 million from Johnson & Johnson-Janssen;
– 1.9 million from Moderna;
– 4 million from Curevac;
– In the end, there will be vaccines for all Portuguese.
Vaccination points?
– There will be no vaccines in pharmacies in this first phase.
– The vaccines against COVID-19 will be managed entirely by the NHS.
– In this first phase, vaccination will take place in health centers, which may be extended later to other vaccination points.
How will the vaccines be stored?
– There will be a single central storage.
– There will be regional warehouses in the 5 ARS and in the autonomous regions.
– There may also be storage in health clusters.
The former PSD president stressed that “it is remarkable how in less than 12 months a vaccine against covid-19 is discovered”. “In the past, the discovery of a vaccine took years. A great example from the scientific community,” he said.
Still on vaccines, Marques Mendes also addressed the PALOP, with a suggestion to the President of the Republic and the Government: “as the EU is helping Portugal, it would be a good idea for the CPLP to help the PALOP in their vaccination processes . For the sake of solidarity. And for the sake of protecting the Portuguese – our society today is closely linked to Portuguese-speaking African countries. “
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