Preliminary health professionals hope that COVID-19 vaccine will reach people in the first quarter of 2021, at a press conference on November 23, Santa Livina, Director of the Public Health Department of the Ministry of Health, informs journalists.
She also said that the minimum number of vaccines that Latvia would like to receive is 800,000. Speaking about the groups of people to be vaccinated first, Līviņa noted that it is the decision of each country to vaccinate first, and Latvia is guided by the European Commission (EC) recommendations. Vaccination will be offered primarily to healthcare workers, as they are at very high risk of both becoming ill and transmitting the infection.
The next people to be vaccinated are those working and living in social care institutions. The following is a discussion of the population over the age of 60, those with chronic illnesses, as well as employees of operational services and educational institutions.
Dace Zavadska, Chairwoman of the National Council for Immunization, said at a press conference that the number of people vaccinated could be controlled, as each vaccine will have to be registered in e-health.
She also stressed that it is too early to express hope that a moderate course of the disease will be prevented. “For now, the vaccine will help prevent death and severe disease.”
In terms of vaccine efficacy and previously reported information on Modern vaccine, which has reached 95% effectiveness, Zavadska pointed out that it can realistically talk about it when the vaccine enters the public, and not just judging by the effectiveness of laboratory studies. “Under these conditions, 70% efficiency is very good.”
She also said that as of November 16, 260 potential vaccine candidates had been applied for, 56 of whom were in the clinical trial stage.
Zavadska also said that there is a great chance to end the pandemic with the help of a vaccine, as has happened before in human history. She recalled that the first vaccine was developed in 1796 and was against smallpox. The vaccine completely controlled the disease.
Regarding how the COVID-19 vaccine can be developed so quickly, the President of the National Immunization Council explained that this was due to scientific and technological developments and the fact that potential SARS and MERS coronavirus vaccines had been studied for more than a decade.
The representative of the Ministry of Health Līviņa noted that currently the EC has concluded five agreements on the purchase of vaccines. However, none of the vaccines have yet been registered with the European Medicines Agency, as, according to Sven Henkuzen, Director of the National Agency for Medicines, they have not yet formally evaluated the effectiveness of the vaccines – they have yet to do so.
Once one of the vaccines has been officially registered with the European Medicines Agency, it will be possible to start procurement until it can be closed.
Līviņa tentatively estimates that by the end of 2021, several vaccines could be available, which will be registered.
The director of the public health department added that there was hope for building crowd immunity to COVID-19.
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