Announcement

T.MUNKHSAIKHAN: MNT 47 billion allocated for Covid-19 vaccine

Summary

Since the outbreak of Covid-19, countries have been researching and talking about vaccines, and the world is waiting for an effective, high-quality and safe vaccine. Mongolia is one of the few countries in the world to have an Immunization Law.

Updated on : 07-12-2020

The Minister of Health, T.Munkhsaikhan, clarified the position of the Ministry of Health on the Covid-19 vaccine.

How is the Kovid-19 vaccine ordered and prepared?

Since the outbreak of Covid-19, countries have been researching and talking about vaccines, and the world is waiting for an effective, high-quality and safe vaccine. Mongolia is one of the few countries in the world to have an Immunization Law. For many years, our country has had a system in place to immunize the population through its established professional teams and structures. One of them is the NCCD Immunization Department. A number of working groups have been set up to select, study and prepare orders for the Covid-19 vaccine. These activities are led by the Immunization Advisory Committee under the Ministry of Health, which provides professional guidance.

According to the plan to vaccinate the population, this year's budget includes an amendment of 20 billion, and next year's budget includes 27 billion, for a total of 47 billion. It will also work with the World Bank and other donors on additional funding.

As the World Bank is more involved in the supply of vaccines, it will give us more time to get them. We have officially applied for the vaccine and have been informed that we will supply it.

What is the WHO recommendation?

In accordance with the WHO guidelines and recommendations issued on 16 November, guidelines for the distribution and immunization of coronavirus vaccines at the national level and a draft action plan are being revised. Under these guidelines, the vaccine will be delivered to the immunization unit within one week of receiving it, and a set of activities will be organized, such as short-term vaccination of the target population and training of health workers on the use of new vaccines. 

The assessment will be conducted in accordance with the WHO Vaccine Readiness Assessment Assessment Methodology (VIRAT) with the participation of partner organizations and international organizations, and the request will be submitted to VDGA in accordance with the plan.

Who is the target group for Covid-19 vaccination?

The Immunization Law provides for “compulsory immunization”, “supplementary immunization”, “supplementary immunization”, “voluntary immunization”, and “epidemiological indications”. In the case of Covid-19 infections, this is done on the basis of these “epidemiological indications” or on the basis of necessary measures to prevent, limit the spread and eradicate the disease at the source of the infectious disease. Vaccination of the population is carefully selected based on scientific evidence, such as global trends, immunization strategies, manufacturer's guidelines, and epidemiological studies of the infection. Internationally, the target group for Covid-19 vaccine is people with chronic underlying diseases of the lungs, heart, kidneys, cancer, diabetes mellitus 1st and 2nd degree, It is recommended to include people over 60 years of age, health workers working at the site of infection, professionals with special functions, employees and their family members. However, children aged 0-18 are not included, and we have 1.2 million children of this age.
 
Does our country follow the world standards against Covid-19 infection?

In times of global pandemics, countries are trying to prevent and cope with high-risk, high-level curfews. We are also taking all necessary steps in accordance with this lesson and WHO recommendations. According to the World Health Organization, 48 vaccines for Covid-19 infection prevention are under clinical trial, and 164 vaccines are undergoing clinical trials. Of the 48 vaccines tested in clinical trials, 21 are in Phase I, 13 in Phases I-II, 3 in Phase II, and 11 in Phase III.

Mongolia has a small population and, on the other hand, is taking all possible measures from the Government of Mongolia, taking into account its current economic and health capacity. Since the onset of Covid-19 infection, there have been rapid antigen-based tests for early detection of viral infections, post-infection antibodies, immunoglobulins (IgM, IgG), and diagnostic and treatment modalities. Accordingly, we are conducting diagnostics and detection.

The diagnostic system and test kits used in our country today are officially certified by WHO countries. 

 At Kovid-19, we are conducting a health system and impact study, estimating the preliminary results, and expanding the study. Research in this area will continue, and we will review our achievements and lessons learned and focus on improvement.