The First Batch of AstraZeneca Vaccine will be Delivered to Uzbekistan
The delivery of 660 thousand doses of AstraZeneca vaccine under the COVAX mechanism for vaccination against COVID-19 is expected in Uzbekistan on Wednesday, March 17, RIA Novosti reports with reference to the press secretary of the Sanitary and Epidemiological Welfare and Public Health Service (SES) of the republic Muhammadjon Bozorov.
The country’s authorities plan to start mass vaccination against COVID-19 in March, by the end of 2021, 7 million people, or 20% of the population, can be vaccinated. 15 million doses of vaccines have been ordered on the global market.
According to Mr. Bozorov, the Uzbek side will receive a vaccine produced in India under the license of an Anglo-Swedish company.
According to the SES, Tashkent is negotiating with 12 manufacturers of COVID-19 vaccines under the COVAX mechanism. In particular, we are also talking about the purchase of 100 thousand doses of Comirnaty, produced by the Pfizer American company and its German partner BioNTech, as well as up to 2.5 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine. Assistance to Tashkent in the purchase of vaccines through COVAX is provided by the German government.
The AstraZeneca vaccine has an intricate reputation in Europe. So, the Austrian authorities previously decided to suspend the use of a batch of this drug as a precautionary measure in connection with the death of one vaccinated woman and the development of thromboembolism in another after receiving the vaccination. Estonia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, the Netherlands, Bulgaria, and Romania followed Austria’s example.
At the same time, the World Health Organization believes that there is no reason to abandon AstraZeneca. They recommended to continue vaccination with the drug, while the investigation of the thrombosis causes when using it is underway.
In February, the Uzbek authorities certified the Russian Sputnik V for mass use in the country. This is the world’s first registered coronavirus vaccine, which has already proven its safety and effectiveness. In Russia and abroad, more than seven million people have so far been vaccinated with Sputnik V.
On March 10, Deputy Minister of Health of Uzbekistan Bakhodir Yusupaliyev told that the draft agreement on the volume and schedule of Sputnik V delivery to the republic has been prepared and is under consideration by the Russian side.
He also informed that the Agency for the Development of the Pharmaceutical Industry of the Republic of Uzbekistan is working with the Russian Direct Investment Fund on the possible launch of the Sputnik V production in the republic.
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