Waiting for the anti-COVID vaccine

An anti-COVID vaccine will be available at EU level by the end of the year

Corina Cristea, 20.11.2020, 13:50

Strengthening
cooperation among Member States is key amidst growing numbers of COVID
infection at EU level, Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis said on the sidelines
of the European Council virtual meeting. The Romanian official addressed the
need to ensure an efficient EU-wide communication campaign regarding COVID
vaccination, so as to highlight its benefits. Romania’s vaccination strategy is
almost complete, the President said, warning however that carrying out such a
large-scale campaign over a short period of time will involve a large amount of
medical consumables. Additional measures are therefore needed to avoid any
shortages that might surface in the distribution chain. On the other hand,
President Iohannis spoke of the importance of ensuring a constant exchange of
information and best practices regarding testing strategies and procedures,
underlining the fact that EU-wide test recognition would considerably improve
free movement.

Romania will receive the anti-COVID vaccine the same time all
other EU members will, in a number of stages. The vaccine will be free and no
one will be forced to take the shot, Valeriu
Gheorghiţă, the head of the vaccination campaign for Romania, has told Radio
Romania. The Romanian doctor said an awareness campaign would first be carried
out, to present to the population the benefits of the new vaccine, with the aim
of convincing as many people as possible to take the shot.

At this stage we are talking about a vaccine
that is being offered free of charge only to those who want to be immunized.
But the decision to take the vaccine or not should be made only after receiving
correct information from official and reliable sources.

The first to receive the vaccine will be
healthcare workers, then workers in critical state infrastructure positions.
Depending on vaccine supplies, next on the list are vulnerable categories,
namely people who can develop severe forms of COVID-19. Only 30% of Romanians
would take the vaccine if this was an option, a recent survey conducted by the
Avangarde Group of Social and Behavioral Studies reveals. Another 36% would
take the vaccine only after waiting to see if people who take the first round
of vaccines are developing any health problems, while a quarter of respondents
say they wouldn’t take the vaccine either way. Of these, 36% are graduates of
primary education, 40% have graduated high school and the rest are graduates of
higher education units schooling units. As regards the existence of the virus,
some 76% of respondents believe it is real, while 12% deny its existence.

(Translated by V. Palcu)