Government of Portugal

11/09/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 11/10/2021 07:10

Portugal sends new batch of Covid-19 vaccines to São Tomé e Príncipe This new batch of Astrazeneca shots will be delivered to the São Tomé authorities by the Portuguese Embassy

2021-11-09 at 16h56

Portugal sends new batch of Covid-19 vaccines to São Tomé e Príncipe

Portugal will send a third batch of 37,000 Covid-19 vaccines to São Tomé e Príncipe, raising the number of vaccines sent to the country to more than 86,000.

This third batch of Astrazeneca shots, together with the equipment needed to administer them, including syringes and needles, will arrive in the country on 10 November, where it will be delivered by the Portuguese Ambassador to São Tomé to the country's health authorities.

This initiative stems from the political commitment to send to the Portuguese-Speaking African countries and East Timor at least 5% of the Covid-19 vaccines procured by Portugal and falls under the second stage of the Action Plan for the health response to the pandemic between Portugal and the Portuguese-Speaking African countries and East Timor.

This initiative arises from the joint effort of the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, via Camões - the Institute for Cooperation and Language and the Portuguese Embassy in São Tomé, and the Ministry of Health, via the Directorate-General for Health (DGS), and the Portuguese Medicines Agency (Infarmed).

These shots were transported with the support of TAP airline, under the Institutional Partnership Agreement signed between the Portuguese airline and the Camões Institute for Cooperation and Language on 30 September. The aim of this Agreement is to foster collaboration between the two institutions, with a special focus on transporting Covid-19 vaccines and respective consumables to the Portuguese-Speaking African Countries and Brazil.