AstraZeneca will deliver 443,000 doses of its Covid-19 vaccine to Belgium in February, Sabine Stordeur, co-head of the vaccination task force, said Tuesday at a press briefing of Sciensano and the Crisis Centre.
"The volume and timing of future deliveries remain to be confirmed," she added. The first 80,000 doses of the vaccine were delivered last weekend in Belgium.
Due to a lack of scientific data on the efficacy of the product in people over 55 years of age, the taskforce decided to reserve the vaccine for the population aged between 18 and 55 years, in the latest update to the country's vaccination strategy.
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Within this group, the doses will first be administered to healthcare workers, then to residents and staff of collective care institutions such as revalidation centres or psychiatric institutions, to risk groups suffering from underlying conditions and finally to intervention units within the police force.
The delivery of 443,000 doses is smaller than hoped for due to the delivery issues at EU levels, but it will already allow a significant number of people to get their first dose, according to the taskforce.
The Brussels Times
