12% of Moldova’s population has been immunized with the first dose since the COVID-19 vaccination campaign was launched in the Republic of Moldova (March 2) until present. Also, 2-3% of the Moldovans got vaccinated abroad, Denis Cernelea, secretary of state at the Ministry of Health, Labor and Social Protection, stated in a news conference, being quoted by IPN.

According to Cernelea, 83% of the health workers have been vaccinated against COVID-19. The infection rate among medical staff declined by over 90% as a result. The vaccination rate is the highest in Chisinau, Dubăsari, Rezina and Cimișlia, while the lowest rate is in Briceni and Taraclia. As many as 535 vaccination centers have been created in Moldova in total.

The functionary noted that the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccine doses have a period of validity of up to six months from the production day. Instead, the Chinese vaccines brought to Moldova are valid for a much longer period – Sinovac until 2024, while Sinopharm until 2023.  

At the start of July, Moldova will get another 100,000-150,000 vaccine doses through the COVAX Facility. The type of vaccine is not yet known.

As regards the COVID-19 vaccine certificates, Denis Cernelea said discussions with representatives of the European Commission concerning the introduction of the EU’s digital certificate in the EU member states and third countries have been held. But the legal and procedural framework hasn’t been yet finalized. Moldova is taking all the measures to have the vaccine certificates and PCR tests recognized.

In the nearest future, the digital COVID-19 vaccine certificate will start to be issued in Moldova and an electronic signature will be needed to ensure the safety of the document.