North Macedonia gets first batch of Russia vaccine Sputnik V

SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — North Macedonia on Sunday received the first batch of 3,000 doses of Russian vaccine Sputnik V from a total order of 200,000 in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The first shipment was delivered to the country’s main airport near the capital, Skopje, and Health Minister Venko Filipce said that the Russian vaccine is aimed at people over the age of 65, and that inoculation is expected to start from the middle of next week.

North Macedonia began administering vaccinations against the coronavirus three weeks ago from a first batch of 4,680 doses of Pfizer vaccines donated by neighboring Serbia.

Doctors and nurses in the main COVID-19 center at the infectious diseases clinic in the capital, Skopje, were the first to receive the shots.

North Macedonian authorities also signed an agreement to procure 200,000 doses of the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine, but the deal has been postponed after health authorities have decided to withdraw the advance payment in order to secure proper documentation from the Chinese company.

As of Saturday, North Macedonia, a country of just over 2 million people, has recorded nearly 107,000 coronavirus cases and more than 3,100 deaths since last year.