Lithuania received its third batch of the BioNTech/Pfizer coronavirus vaccine on Monday morning, the Health Ministry said. The country will also receive weekly deliveries of the vaccine for the next three months.
The batch of 20,478 doses was flown from Germany to Lithuania at 09:00 and then transported to the Health Emergency Situations Center's warehouses for ultra-cold storage in special freezers.
The ministry said it would give more detailed information on the third batch and vaccination priorities at a news conference on Tuesday.
"It is planned to vaccinate all hospitals: their personnel, ambulance crews and patients at the highest risk," according to Jurgita Grebenkovienė, chancellor of the Health Ministry.
The next phase of the vaccination programme will involve the medical personnel of drive-in coronavirus testing stations and fever clinics, and the staff and residents of nursing homes, according to the official.
Read more: Over 2,000 Lithuanian medical workers get coronavirus shots on first vaccination day
However, residents of nursing and care homes will be first tested for coronavirus antibodies and only those whose results come back negative will get the shots.
"There aren't enough vaccines for everyone," the chancellor told the parliamentary Commission for the Rights of People with Disabilities. "The idea is to do antibody tests first and not to vaccinate those who have already had the infection."
The first batch of the BioNTech/Pfizer coronavirus vaccine, which is currently the only one authorised for use in the European Union, was distributed among five hospitals in Lithuania’s main cities during the Christmas weekend and was used to immunise frontline medical workers.
Grebenkovienė also said that from now on coronavirus vaccines will be delivered to Lithuania every Monday for three months.
Read more: Coronavirus: Lithuania starts vaccinating medics
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
