The first batch of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine purchased by the Ministry of Health arrived in the country on Sunday via the courier DHL. Health Minister Venko Filipce and Russian Ambassador to Macedonia Sergei Bazdnikin received the COVID-19 vaccines at the Skopje International Airport.

The vaccines, a total of 3,000, are in appropriate packaging and will be stored at -18 to -20 degrees, for which the necessary infrastructure is ready. The vaccines will be placed in special refrigerators, after which the vaccination process will be organized at vaccination sites in the Health Center – Skopje. According to Minister Filipce, the vaccination will probably start on Wednesday.

According to Filipce, 200,000 doses of the Chinese vaccine are expected to arrive in the country, of which a certain amount may arrive soon, but it is not yet confirmed exactly when.

The Russian ambassador said that the vaccine will contribute to saving human lives and returning the Macedonian economy to the growth trajectory.