BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 24
Trend:
I can say that, if I am not mistaken, the first vaccination in the world was in America, in the United States, in December 2020. We started vaccination on 18 January 2021. So the vaccines were delivered to the country quite quickly, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva said, during Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's meeting with heads of leading Russian media outlets at TASS news agency on Feb. 23, Trend reports.
"Based on the situation now, we can say that the last wave in Azerbaijan is on the decline. But if you are interested, I can tell you a little about our experience, because the situation that all countries were faced with, including Azerbaijan, was extraordinary and the challenge was quite big. And today, more than two years on, we have some experience, and I can share it," First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva said.
"When it all started, in February-March 2020, as you all probably remember, there were different theories. Some believed in it, some understood, others did not understand, there was denial. At the end of February, we had a clear understanding that something really very serious was happening, and it required the adoption of extraordinary and immediate measures. And I think one of the main reasons why the further work went well is that we managed to quickly create a very professional headquarters, a team. Moreover, it was clear that we could not be content with only medical workers because a wide range of issues was involved. So a group of government members and experts, young scientists, especially mathematicians, was established, because it was clear even then that it would be necessary to do calculations and make predictions. Thank you, Mr. President – he immediately began listening to the recommendations. So at the first stage, we quickly decided to close the borders. It was March. This, of course, helped to some extent, but then the further development of events showed that, of course, there were several fairly strong and strict quarantine regimes. What was also important to do quickly, and this team did it, was to look at our weaknesses in the healthcare sector, of course, because the main challenge would be a collapse of the healthcare system. Somewhere in April, we knew what we were lacking. In a short period of time, we were able to purchase – of course, funds were allocated again – 10 and then two more – about 12 modular hospitals, which were quickly delivered to the country and assembled. A year later, having already experienced the first year, we understood exactly what kind of equipment and what kind of hospitals we needed. For example, in the second year of the pandemic, we already ordered modular hospitals with purely intensive care beds, because it became clear that there would be no problems with ordinary beds, but there might be with intensive care ones," First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva said.
"One of the aspects, probably the main ones, is the fact that this team was working. It is working to this day. I can say that the forecasts they have provided up to now have come true by 90 to 95 percent. So we expected every wave. The error could have been by a week – when we will have a surge, when there will be a decline, when there will be a plateau. This helped a lot, because it made it possible for the government to calculate the correct timeframe, if necessary, to take some emergency measures, quarantine measures. In parallel with this, of course, the medical equipment and medicines that were needed were purchased. By the end of the first year – even by the middle of it – it became clear that we were talking about vaccination. Here, too, our colleagues managed to quickly establish the right contacts. I can say that, if I am not mistaken, the first vaccination in the world was in America, in the United States, in December 2020. We started vaccination on 18 January 2021. So the vaccines were delivered to the country quite quickly. These were Chinese vaccines and the Russian vaccines at the next stage. We also received European vaccines through COVAX. So there was a selection with vaccines to choose from. The decision was that, naturally, vaccination would be voluntary, free of charge, and there would be a choice. And here, of course, the second aspect is very important. I think that if we consider our experience successful, as Mikhail said, probably a very important aspect is proper communication with society. Because the situation was new for our people, and terrifying in many ways. There was also a denial, there were all sorts of conspiracy theories, as elsewhere, in fact. It was quite helpful for us that, firstly, we immediately understood that the messages that will come from the headquarters must be absolutely clear. We must calibrate them so that we do not change them later. Because in such a situation it was very important to say something and then act upon it. Here too, I am grateful to the President, because he addressed the people, he addressed the public and communicated these messages. And the fact that the people trust the President has played a role here, of course. This COVID situation confirmed yet again how important it is to have this trust, because what people heard from the President was perceived as an unambiguous truth. Of course, there were skeptics, there were skeptical people, there was a small number of anti-vaxxers. But in general, we managed to avoid tangible contradictions or unrest, let’s put it that way. Our people started to get vaccinated. And they did that in a quite disciplined manner. To date, about 70 percent of people over the age of 18 have received two jabs. It is mainly people over 18 years of age who are vaccinated in our country. For children, vaccination is only at the decision of the parents, there is no mandatory vaccination, and the Ministry of Health announces that this is only at the discretion of the parents. Therefore, perhaps the complex of these two measures has helped us to move along the most optimal scenario. Although there was and still is this situation, there is this cautious optimism that omicron is perhaps the end of the epidemic. At the same time, there are other theories that new variants of the virus may also appear, much more dangerous and much more deadly. But, in general, analyzing the path we have traveled, I consider these two components to be crucial perhaps: the prompt establishment of a very efficient team of the right people, and I want to emphasize that it is made up not only of doctors, and secondly, we believe that we provided very calibrated and accurate messages to our society. And somehow it worked. The topic is such that I want to take this opportunity to wish everyone good health. Because these two years have been very difficult for everyone, of course. Unfortunately, although some are more successful and others are less successful, people are dying, and they are dying in our country too. I do hope that we are getting close to the end of this story," First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva said.