DUSHANBE, 23.03.2021 (NIAT Khovar) – Today, the Istiklol medical complex hosted an official ceremony to start vaccination against the COVID-19 among vulnerable groups of the population.

The Minister of Health and Social Protection of the Population Jamoliddin Abdullozoda was one of the first to be vaccinated. Then he was followed by his deputies — Gafur Muhsinzoda, Shodikhon Jamshed and Samariddin Alizoda.

The very first person who took root in Tajikistan from COVID-19 was the head of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Tajikistan Osama Makkawi. In an interview with reporters, he said that by my example, I wanted to show that the AstraZeneca vaccine is not dangerous to health.

He called on Tajiks to accept it without any hesitation.

Abdullozoda noted that a phased vaccination against the COVID-19 among vulnerable groups of the population has started from today. He said that vaccination is a must to protect your health.

He urged the country’s residents to visit medical centers and get vaccinated.

According to Abdullozoda, 3,000 vaccination points have been created in Tajikistan as a whole. Currently, the republic has received 192,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines within the framework of the COVAX program. The second batch of vaccines will arrive soon.

Earlier, the Ministry of Health reported that the following categories of citizens would be vaccinated first, including medical workers, employees of strategic sectors of the economy, persons over 60 years old, persons with chronic non-communicable diseases and workers in science and education.