Portugal Says It May Get 9 Million Vaccine Doses by End of June

(Bloomberg) -- Portugal may probably receive about 8 million to 9 million Covid-19 vaccine doses by the end of the first half instead of the 11 million doses that were initially planned, Secretary of State for Health Antonio Lacerda Sales said.

That quantity may be enough to vaccinate 3.6 million people, Sales said on Friday in comments broadcast by RTP. Even with the reduction in deliveries, the country is “very close” to what was foreseen in the initial plan, he said.

Portugal is now vaccinating people over 80, as well as some individuals over 50 with certain illnesses, after initially focusing on inoculating health-care professionals and people at elderly care homes. The government aims to have 70% of the country’s adult population vaccinated by the end of the summer.

Health Minister Marta Temido said on Monday that Portugal expects to receive 2.5 million vaccine doses from pharmaceutical companies in the first quarter, about half of the 4.4 million doses initially planned in contracts signed with the European Union. Portugal has received Pfizer-BioNTech SE, Moderna Inc. and AstraZeneca Plc vaccines.

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