The AstraZeneca vaccines are expected to arrive on March 31 and April 15, while the Chinese vaccines on March 31, Health Minister Venko Filipce said on Thursday, emphasizing that the system is ready and it is known exactly how the vaccination will take place. He assessed that the country has a balanced system of restrictions in which individual responsibility is extremely important and that in the coming period until the beginning of next week, there is room to assess the results of the current curfew. Meanwhile, out of 3,761 tests performed, 1,216 new Covid-19 cases were registered in the country on Thursday, 111 patients have recovered and 15 people died.

Regarding the position of the European Medicines Agency that the AstraZeneca vaccine is safe, Minister Filipce pointed out that they pay special attention to what the national agencies in the EU say, which temporarily halted the vaccination and follow all relevant research. He also said that they made sure that all vaccines and drugs are properly examined and have the appropriate quality certificates and are confirmed by regulatory bodies.

The Commission for Infectious Diseases should take under consideration the implementation of additional restrictive measures and protocols because the COVID-19 situation in Macedonia is serious and requires us to act responsibly and abide by protective measures, the Chamber of Doctors said in a press release on Thursday.

The Chamber of Doctors calls on all citizens to recognize the seriousness of the situation we are in caused by the spread of Covid-19 and with joint contribution and action to help doctors in the fight to protect individual and collective health, because that is the only way to prevent further spread of the virus and to avoid the collapse of the healthcare system.

According to Thursday’s data, 1,193 Covid-19 patients with are being treated in hospitals in the country and there are about 290 beds available in the covid wards. As the Health Ministry informed Thursday, in the past 24 hours, 71 patients were hospitalized in the covid wards in Skopje due to coronavirus complications. A total of 514 people suspected and confirmed Covid-19 patients are being treated at infectious disease wards in the capital. Many patients receive oxygen support.

The capacity for hospitalization of COVID-19 patients within the Skopje-based  Clinical Center “Mother Teresa” and the “8 September” Hospital is increasing. 25 beds are now available for treating coronavirus patients at the University Clinic of Traumatology, Orthopedics, Anaesthesia, Reanimation, Intensive Care, and Emergency Care, the Ministry of Health said in press release on Thursday.

Since the outbreak of the epidemic, Macedonia has registered 116,438 confirmed coronavirus cases, while 99,126 people have recovered. The death toll stands at 3,403. At the moment, there are 13,909 active cases across the country.