The Republic of Moldova takes the last position in the European vaccination rankings with an immunization rate of about 30%. The low rate is due to the distrust of the majority of citizens in vaccines and this is confirmed by sociological studies. The anti-vaccination campaigns promoted through social networking sites also have an impact, says the report “Efficiency of Management of COVID-19 Crisis in the Republic of Moldova, August-December 2021” that was produced by the Association for Participatory Democracy (ADEPT) and was presented in a news conference at IPN.
According to ADEPT executive director Igor Boțan, the satisfactory management of the pandemic against a low vaccination rate is among the explanations why the intensity of communication between people in a country with primarily rural population, such as the Republic of Moldova, is much lower than in the urbanized European states.
Such a conclusion is confirmed by the fact that the infection rate in the main cities of Moldova – Chisinau and Bălți – is two-three times higher than in the districts with a rural population of about 80-90%.
The fact that the vaccination of all the citizens in the Republic of Moldova wasn’t achieved by the end of 2021 should make the Moldovan authorities ponder over as things do not go as planned.
When the vaccination process started and the vaccine doses were insufficient, everyone tried to get a vaccine. When the problem of access to vaccine was solved, the persons who were sure that the vaccine will protect them got vaccinated. A record high was reached in July, but since August the number of persons vaccinated monthly has decreased. In December, the number of vaccinated persons rose again after over 60,000 citizens got the booster dose.
According to Igor Boțan, these data show that the authorities, the citizens and organizations that deal with vaccination should make effort to foster the immunization process.
The vaccination rate in the Republic of Moldova at the end of 2021 was the lowest on the continent. At the end of December, Moldova had administered only 1.6% of booster doses, as opposed to 26% in the EU.
