Illustrative stock photo (source: TASR)
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Slovakia has ordered 2.44 million vaccine shots against the coronavirus. The vaccines will be for free, without additional payments, and voluntary, Health Minister Marek Krajčí (OĽaNO) said.
He also pointed out that the vaccine by Pfizer has undergone successful clinical testing, being 90-percent effective.
Slovakia has ordered the vaccine via the EU.
“As soon as the vaccine is available in the EU, Slovakia along with other countries will receive an aliquot part in the way agreed within the distribution mechanism,” Krajčí said, as quoted by the SITA newswire. “I would like to assure the Slovak citizens that Slovakia ordered more than 17 million vaccines from six different producers this way.”
Purchase via the EC
Slovakia will take the vaccines based on their availability. If it does not need them, the vaccines will be placed on what he calls a bazaar. He explained that each country has more vaccines ordered than it really needs, and the "bazaar" is a system where the excessive vaccines are made available to other countries.
The European Commission has approved the fourth contract on the purchase of vaccines against COVID-19 on November 11. The latest contract was signed with the pharmaceutical companies BioNTech and Pfizer.
It concerns the initial purchase of 200 million vaccine shots on behalf of all EU member states and also the possibility of asking for another 100 million vaccines.
