Tajikistan requested 2 million doses of vaccine from the British-Swedish company AstraZeneca under the international COVAX mechanism. According to the interim forecast, published in early February, Tajikistan will receive 732 thousand doses of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine in the first half of 2021. The Ministry of Health of Tajikistan did not specify yet when the vaccination will begin, but it is already clear who will be vaccinated first.
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The vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) began in more than 30 countries around the world. In European countries, the vaccination officially began at the end of 2020; in Russia, the vaccination began in January, and in the Central Asian region, only Kazakhstan began to vaccinate its citizens against coronavirus from February 1.
Tajikistan is still waiting for the vaccine. The country’s government chose the vaccine by the British-Swedish company AstraZeneca, which was developed together with the University of Oxford. It will be delivered to the republic in the first half of 2021.
According to the UN News, Tajikistan will receive 732 thousand doses under the COVAX international cooperation mechanism. Overall, Tajikistan requested 2 million doses of vaccine under this mechanism. It is not known yet when the remaining amount of vaccines will be delivered to the country.
We collected the most recent available information on COVID-19 vaccination in Tajikistan. We learned about AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine, which will be administered to Tajikistan’s residents in the summer of 2021, and what contraindications it has.
First, let us explain what the COVAX mechanism is, under which Tajikistan will receive a vaccine free of charge.
COVAX is a global initiative aimed at equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. It was established in 2020 by the joint efforts of the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI).
COVAX, one of the pillars of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, aims to accelerate the development and manufacture of COVID-19 vaccines, as well as to enable access to it for every country in the world.
The mechanism aims to enable the fair and equitable access to vaccines for all countries, regardless of their wealth.
Currently, 190 countries had joined COVAX. According to it, the high-income countries will support the purchase of COVID-19 vaccines for low- and middle-income countries.
COVAX’s aim is to distribute 2 billion doses of WHO-approved vaccines by the end of 2021. This number will cover up to 20% of the population of the countries that joined this mechanism.
Tajikistan joined COVAX mechanism in December 2020 and requested 2 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine free of charge, as the republic is considered a low-income country.
According to the Minister of Health Jamoliddin Abdullozoda, Tajikistan is negotiating with Russia on the supply of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine. However, nothing is known about the needed amount of time so far.
It is planned to purchase the Russian vaccine with budget funds, but the allocated amount is also unknown.
In the Khovar National Information Agency interview, the Minister of Health said that the distribution of the first vaccines would begin by mid-2021.
According to him, following the instructions of the COVAX mechanism, first, it is necessary to ensure the vaccination of:
- The healthcare and social workers who are at a high risk of infection,
- The elderly and persons suffering from chronic non-contagious diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, diseases associated with metabolic disorders, or have a high risk of death.
The target group from the population to be vaccinated against COVID-19 is already determined: it is 1.8 million people or 20% of the population of Tajikistan. This group includes healthcare and education workers, persons over 50 and persons with chronic non-contagious diseases.
The vaccination will be voluntary and free of charge. After the vaccine is delivered to Tajikistan, the Ministry of Health of the country will announce the locations and the process of registering for vaccination.
See also: What Should Kazakhstan Citizens Know About the Upcoming COVID-19 Vaccination?
Presumably, the remaining 80% of the population of Tajikistan will be able to receive the vaccine by the end of 2021, as the Minister of Health stated at a press conference on February 12.
The minimum age to receive the AstraZeneca and Sputnik V vaccines is 18 years. In exceptional cases, the AstraZeneca vaccine can be used to vaccinate children above 12, but this is not planned in Tajikistan, since the vaccination of children is not fully studied and its effectiveness is not proven yet.
The Ministry of Health of Tajikistan did not report anything about the cost of the vaccine for the population. It was noted that AstraZeneca vaccine would be delivered to the country free of charge under the COVAX mechanism, while negotiations with Russia on Sputnik V vaccine are underway.
Yes, you can refuse if you believe you do not need it or if you think it is ineffective. The vaccination is not mandatory in any country of the world. The vaccination against coronavirus in Tajikistan will also be voluntary.
It is needed to develop immunity against COVID-19. The vaccine works this way: a weakened virus or bacterium, or their components, is introduced into a body. The body’s immune system remembers this type of virus and the way to fight it, and the next time, the immune system is ready to fight the virus, which it already understands and knows.
Vaccines work by mimicking an infectious agent – viruses, bacteria or other microorganisms that can cause a disease. This ‘teaches’ our immune system to rapidly and effectively respond against it.
Traditionally, vaccines have done this by introducing a weakened form of an infectious agent that allows our immune system to build a memory of it. This way, our immune system can quickly recognize and fight it before it makes us ill. That is how some current COVID-19 vaccine candidates are being designed.
See also: What About Covid-19 Vaccination in Kyrgyzstan? Here’s the Explanation
Other potential vaccines being developed also use new approaches: what are called RNA and DNA vaccines. Instead of introducing antigens (a substance that causes your immune system to produce antibodies), RNA and DNA vaccines give our body the genetic code it needs to allow our immune system to produce the antigen itself. [/box]
This vaccine was developed by the British-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca together with scientists from the University of Oxford. The type of vaccine is a viral vector (genetically modified virus). It has passed the clinical trials and its effectiveness is estimated at 63%. The vaccine contains genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
“According to WHO experts, people over 65 and pregnant women can receive the vaccine. The AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine can be stored in regular refrigerators, which makes it much easier to transport it,” reports the UN News.
WHO experts note that the effectiveness of the vaccine is lower against the South African strain of the virus, but the vaccine effectively protects against the SARS-CoV-2 strain that appeared in the United Kingdom.
The vaccine works by stimulating the body’s immune system and forcing it to develop its own defense (antibodies) against the virus. None of the ingredients in this vaccine can cause COVID-19.
In the UK, the mass vaccination against coronavirus is carried out with this particular vaccine.
The detailed instructions for this vaccine are available on the UK government website.
AstraZeneca vaccine is for intramuscular injection only, preferably in the deltoid muscle.
The vaccination course consists of two separate doses of 0.5 ml each. The second dose should be administered between 4 and 12 weeks after the first dose.
The shelf life of an unopened vial is 6 months. After opening the vial, the shelf life of the vaccine is 6 hours.
Another advantage of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine is the fact that it does not require special storage conditions, and its unopened vials can be stored in the refrigerator at 2 to 8°C.
For comparison, Pfizer’s vaccine is stored at temperatures between -80 and -60°C. To create such conditions for storing vaccines, Tajikistan would have to install proper refrigeration equipment and special storage facilities, which are quite expensive. Although Pfizer’s vaccine is 95% effective, not all countries can afford it due to the storage cost.
Approximately 24,000 people above 18 years received the AstraZeneca vaccine in four clinical trials in the United Kingdom, Brazil and South Africa. According to a preliminary analysis, the incidence of coronavirus decreased among persons who received the vaccine. These results were observed two or more weeks after the second dose among trials’ participants who had no evidence of prior SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Similar results were observed among participants who had one or more other medical conditions (such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, or diabetes) that increased their risk of severe coronavirus infection.
As with other intramuscular injections, AstraZeneca vaccine should be given with caution to individuals with thrombocytopenia, any coagulation disorder or to persons on anticoagulation therapy, because bleeding or bruising may occur following an intramuscular administration in these individuals.
There is a limited experience with the use of AstraZeneca vaccine in pregnant women. Administration of AstraZeneca vaccine in pregnancy should only be considered when the potential benefits outweigh any potential risks for the mother and foetus. As for breastfeeding, it is unknown whether AstraZeneca is excreted in human milk.
The most common post-vaccine symptoms of AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine (over one in ten people) were: pain, warmth, redness, itching, swelling or bruising at the injection site, generally feeling unwell, feeling tired, chills or feeling feverish, headache, feeling sick (nausea), joint pain or muscle ache.
During clinical trials, the majority of adverse reactions were mild to moderate in severity and usually resolved within a few days, while some were still present one week after the vaccination.
Despite multiple studies of this vaccine, the United Kingdom authorities officially stated that it is not known how long the protection after vaccination lasts. The impact of AstraZeneca vaccination on the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is not known. It is also not known yet how many vaccinated people still can carry and spread the virus.
In addition, the European Medicines Agency notes that there were no additional side effects in 345 people, who received the AstraZeneca vaccine during the trials and who previously suffered from coronavirus.
There is also not enough information on how effective this vaccine is for those people who were infected previously.