Skopje, 26 August 2021 (MIA) – The vaccination point within the small sports hall at the Boris Trajkovski Arena opened on Thursday morning. Citizens who wish to get vaccinated can do so without scheduling an appointment. Vaccination also resumes at vaccination points nationwide, Health Minister Venko Filipche said at a press conference on Thursday. “A part of the team of doctors, nurses and Red Cross volunteers from multiple points across healthcare facilities in Skopje are working here today in order to increase vaccine availability, given the citizens’ vast interest after the implementation of new measures and recommendations,” Filipche stressed. Vaccination rates are good across the country, and the average number of citizens applying for it every day exceeds 10,000. Therefore, the overall number of people who have received at least one dose is now nearly 700,000, out of which 510,000 have been fully vaccinated. “Interestingly enough, recently, interest in vaccination has grown significantly in younger people, especially those aged 18-40, now standing at 170,000, i.e. 26% of the overall population in those age groups,” the Minister said. He thinks that coronavirus vaccinations may become seasonal and that a third dose may be required, which has already been discussed in multiple studies. These studies and experiences are being studied and observed in our country, but it’s likely that the world is headed in that direction. The timing after the second dose is being considered, and whether it should be from the same or a different manufacturer. Moreover, Filipche expressed belief that the “Get vaccinated” campaign will be key to raising awareness for the necessity of immunization. “The campaign entails videos, participation of public figures, everyone who we think can influence various groups in society in order to raise awareness of the vaccine’s importance. This will be a long-term process, and we need to communicate with the citizens to send the message that we’re repeating every day. This won’t stop until we all get vaccinated,” Filipche underlined. He added that investing in the campaign does not mean that investments in other areas have been cut, but that every segment related to vaccination is being paid attention to. “There have been active campaigns in the previous months, not backed by the government, but still planned. First, there was UNICEF’s campaign, then the Delegation of the EU’s campaign. The government’s campaign is the next step. The media is one of our biggest partners in the fight against the pandemic. This crisis, among other things, is well-managed through the timely sharing of accurate information with the citizens. We’re paying attention to all segments, no cuts have been made,” the Minister noted. He also said that experiences about what’s done in schools in terms of rapid testing for children are being observed. “The experts are looking at this closely. New additional measures are not being recommended yet, but we may suggest other recommendations in accordance with how the pandemic unfolds,” he told reporters on Thursday. FIlipche explained that the current campaign will be led through videos that include public figures from the world of sports, culture and other areas. He believes that these public figures can influence various age groups. The Minister also urged mass vaccination, especially for the sake of children who will start going to kindergarten and school this year. It’s important that their parents get vaccinated so that families are safe. “This is the only way to change the course of the pandemic. Historically speaking, all pandemics and epidemics ended with vaccinations, not with getting the disease and healing from it. Now that we have an instrument and an available mechanism that’s proven to be effective, there are a relatively smaller number of patients in cities that have higher vaccine rates,” the Minister of Health said. He stressed that the people who can’t get vaccinated due to medical reasons will get confirmation slips that verify that fact, which is usually in the sphere of autoimmune illnesses. Authorities don’t know how many people there are that will need to get exempt, but Filipche expressed assurance that it won’t seriously affect herd immunity. dk/mm