The government is expecting to receive the first 9,750 doses of COVID-19 vaccine by the end of the month, equally distributed between Prague and Brno according to ČVS (Czech Vaccinology Society). Another 250,000 doses are expected to arrive in January, according to Irozhlas.cz. The vaccination will begin immediately.
Currently, the speed at which the vaccines will arrive to the Czech Republic depend on how soon the European Medicine Agency can approve the shots. The meeting considering the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine should happen on the 21st of December (eight days earlier than originally planned) and it will take a few more days for delivery.
“Within two days, the vaccine will be approved by the European Commission, and from December 24, it will be possible to distribute the drugs,” said the minister of health, Jan Blatný.
The government is expecting to have about 200 vaccination centres around the country – in Prague, the shots will be given at the Motol University Hospital and at the General University Hospital. For larger capacity, the field hospital in Prague’s Letňany and the Brno Field Hospital will be used. Blatný states that they are aiming to vaccinate 5000 healthcare workers who care for severely ill COVID-19 patients in the first round.
In total, the Czech Republic secured a vaccine for 6,9 million people. The vaccine will first be reserved for healthcare workers, teachers, seniors and young adults with chronic diseases. Earlier, the government stated that they are planning to have enough shots for as many as 16 million people. Yet, according to the researchers, only 49% of Czechs are planning to get vaccinated.
