Estonia receives first batch of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine approved by EMA

Estonia on Sunday received its first batch of COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University. Estonia's Ministry of Social Affairs said the country has received 7,200 doses of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine on February 7. According to the ministry, Estonia is supposed to get 40,500 vaccine doses from AstraZeneca in February. AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine was recently approved by the European Union's Medicines Agency (EMA). 

Read: Estonia To Get First Female Prime Minister As Government Deal Clinched

Estonia has secured a total of 3.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, which would be enough to inoculate its entire 1.3 million people given most vaccines are two-dose regimen. Estonia has agreements with five pharmaceutical companies for COVID-19 vaccines, including Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna, CureVac, and Johnson & Johnson owned Janssen Pharmaceuticals. According to reports, American firms Pfizer and Moderna are expected to deliver 50,000 and 13,000 doses of vaccines respectively to Estonia in February. 

Read: Estonia PM Ratas Resigns Over Corruption Scandal

People aged no more than 70 years are allowed to take AstraZeneca/Oxford shots, while the Health Ministry in Estonia is planning to vaccinate patients over 70 years with the Moderna vaccine. Health care professionals have been prioritised for the vaccination drive in the country. Estonia began the inoculation campaign on December 27, along with the rest of Europe. The Baltic nation has vaccinated more than 53,000 people to date. 

Read: Russian Ships Move To Resume Baltic Pipeline Construction

COVID-19 situation in Estonia

Estonia has recorded more than 47,500 cases so far. of which 456 people have lost their lives. Estonia has registered a rapid rise in COVID-19 cases in the past couple of months as the daily new infections average rose from below 100 in late October to over 500 by early January. The new emerging variants of the COVID-19 virus has also created a sense of fear in the country because of mounting cases. Estonia has also introduced certain measures for international travellers to prevent the new variants from spreading, which include mandatory quarantine for non-vaccinated passengers. 

Read: Nazi Era Enigma Coding Machine Used To Send Messages During World War Found In Baltic Sea

(Image Credit: AP, Inputs: ANI)