Skopje, 19 October 2022 (MIA) — Health authorities are launching a vaccination drive to boost Covid vaccine rates, given that only 46.7 percent of North Macedonia's population has received two doses and 8.9 percent has had a third dose, the Ministry of Health said. The vaccination drive will continue through Oct. 26, with medical teams visiting 24 locations nationwide and offering shots that reduce the chances of hospitalization and death from SARS-CoV-2 infection amid the pandemic. According to the Ministry of Health press release, the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is causing enormous pressure on health systems and services, and these disruptions have also threatened the long-term, hard-won progress in the regular vaccination of children. "For example, the percentage of children who have received a second dose against smallpox has dropped from 93.4 percent in 2019 to 68.5 percent in 2020, increasing to 80.4 percent in 2021," the release says. Supported by USAID, UNICEF, and WHO, the week-long vaccination drive is held under the slogan "Protected Together – Vaccines Work." In addition to administering vaccines developed against SARS-CoV-2, healthcare workers will also provide information on regular childhood vaccinations and seasonal flu shots. "For more than two centuries, vaccines have helped people stay healthy – from the first vaccine to protect against smallpox to the latest vaccines used to prevent severe cases of COVID-19. Since then, families and communities have come to believe that vaccines provide protection for everyone from newborns to the elderly," the release says. As part of the vaccination drive, medical teams will visit Kumanovo, Cherkezi, Staro Nagorichane, Strumica, Novo Selo, Vasilevo, Veles, Chashka, Buzalkovo, Prilep, Dolneni, Krivogashtani, Bitola, Novaci, Mogila, Ohrid, Mesheishta, Kosel, Tetovo, Bogovinje, Tearce, the Skopje city square, Saraj, and Rakotinci. Blood pressure monitoring services will also be offered, in cooperation with the Red Cross of the Republic of North Macedonia. dk/mr