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European Union and WHO/Europe join forces to support deployment of COVID-19 vaccines and vaccination in the Republic of Moldova

11.02.2021

The European Union and the WHO Regional Office for Europe will work together in a major effort to support the deployment of COVID-19 vaccines and vaccination in the Republic of Moldova. The project funded by the European Union and implemented by WHO will cover all phases – constituting “end-to-end” support – of COVID-19 vaccine deployment and vaccination and will also serve as a major investment to strengthen the routine immunization system.

Visual about Covid-19 vaccines

European Union and WHO/Europe join forces to support deployment of COVID-19

vaccines and vaccination in the Republic of Moldova
 

11 February 2021, Chisinau

The European Union and the WHO Regional Office for Europe will work together in a major effort to support the deployment of COVID-19 vaccines and vaccination in the Republic of Moldova. The project funded by the European Union and implemented by WHO will cover all phases – constituting “end-to-end” support – of COVID-19 vaccine deployment and vaccination and will also serve as a major investment to strengthen the routine immunization system.

The project will be implemented by WHO over a three-year period as part of a €40 million European Union-funded initiative to support six countries in the WHO European Region in preparing for, deploying and monitoring rollout of COVID-19 vaccines: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Republic of Moldova, and Ukraine.

EU Ambassador to the Republic of Moldova, Peter Michalko, mentioned: „In the spirit of the European solidarity, the European Union is supporting the Republic of Moldova in the process of preparedness and deployment of COVID-19 vaccines. A smooth vaccination process will save lives and represents a lasting response to the pandemic. The EU is showing yet again that it is close to the Moldovan people with tangible and impactful support.”

“The Republic of Moldova has made considerable efforts to get the COVID-19 vaccines soon to immunize population to protect ourselves from the virus that has taken thousands of lives. Throughout this process, we have benefited from significant support from our partners, such as the EU and WHO, and we are pleased that this support is ongoing”, declared the State Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Social Protection Tatiana Zatic.

Dr. Igor Pokanevych, WHO Representative and Head of the WHO Country Office in the Republic of Moldova said: “Vaccines offer hope and protection to those fighting on the frontlines of this pandemic and to those at highest risk living in fear of its devastating impact. Thanks to this generous support, WHO can strengthen its collaboration with the Government of the Republic of Moldova to ensure that vaccines can reach those who need them most, as soon and as efficiently as possible.”

The funds will be used initially to support the first phase of preparedness and deployment, with an emphasis on imminent needs in strategic programmatic areas such as planning, equipment/supplies, training of health workers and information campaigns.  

The project builds on the European Union’s and WHO’s ongoing support to countries’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the joint €35 million EU Solidarity for Health Initiative, aimed to support the partner countries in their fight against the virus and address better the needs of the most vulnerable people.

The European Union is working to support the launch of the vaccination campaign in February, together with other international partners. The vaccines to be delivered via COVAX through this first assistance to the Republic of Moldova has been authorized in the EU by the European Medicines Agency. With EUR 853 million, the EU is the biggest initial contributor to the COVAX facility.

 

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Source of information for journalists:

  • Stay updated via the interactive dashboards on the latest COVID-19 statistics WHO HQ; WHO/Europe; these provide real-time, in-depth information on the situation.