Health Ministry presents details of vaccination plan

Vaccination against the coronavirus will take place in three phases, Health Minister Jan Blatn said at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon. The initial A1 phase, which is currently underway, will see the inoculation of those over the age of 80 as well as health care, social care and relevant Interior Ministry staff. In phase 2B, other groups in society marked as high-risk or relevant groups will receive the vaccine. This includes people over the age of 65, those with relevant chronic diseases and priority groups involved in critical state infrastructure. The vaccination of health care staff and seniors, some 600,000 people according to the presentation, should be finished by March. After these two initial stages, the final phase 2 will be activated, where all other members of the population who register will receive the vaccine.

Registration for the general population will open in February. People will have to provide their personal details, which will then be added to the system and evaluated. Subsequently, they will receive confirmation of registration, after which people will be able to register a date when they want to receive the vaccine. The vaccination itself will require the person to identify themselves with relevant documents, after which they will be examined by a medical professional and then receive the vaccine.

Health Minister Blatný said readiness is not the main issue now, but rather the steady supply of vaccine doses. He expects healthy, young people will start being able to receive the vaccine sometime during the summer months.