From January next year, the people of Portugal will be vaccinated against the coronavirus. The country’s health minister, Martha Temido, expressed such optimism in an announcement.
A task force has been formed to start the distribution of the vaccine from January.
Temido said vaccine distribution would begin with the elderly and health care workers. But experts are working to decide who will receive the vaccine first. The task force will also decide on how to do everything from transportation to storage.
“The first vaccine is likely to arrive in January, all we want is for the country to be ready to ensure storage, distribution, and safe use,” Temido told reporters.
Meanwhile, a state of emergency was declared last week to combat the spread of the virus. The 191 towns had various measures, including an overnight curfew and a half-day lockdown, and will continue until November 23.
Note that Portugal, a country of only one million people, has a relatively low incidence of coronavirus and a record number of deaths. But like most European countries, the infection is on the rise and has put the health system under pressure.
