A vaccination marathon, an event where people can get vaccinated against Covid-19 without an appointment, will be held in Bucharest this weekend at Sala Palatului and the National Library.

Forty vaccination points will be open round-the-clock at Sala Palatului concert and event hall, while ten will be set up at the National Library. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine will be used.

Around 1,200 volunteers will work at the event: 260 doctors, 300 nurses, 135 residents, and 500 students. 

A target number of vaccinated people has not been set for the event, Viorel Jinga, the rector of the Carol Davila Medicine and Pharmacy University in Bucharest, explained. “We haven’t set a target. We are happy with having as many vaccinated people as possible; this is the purpose of the marathon,” he said, quoted by Agerpres.

Those who get vaccinated at the marathon can receive the second dose after three weeks at the same venues. 

The event will also feature informative sessions held by doctors, who will explain the benefits of vaccination in live broadcasts from Sala Palatului. 

There will also be short classical music recitals, and various athletes and artists are expected to attend, the organizers have said.

In Sibiu, the vaccination event will be held at the city’s State Philharmonic on May 9, accompanied by an open-air program of concerts and performances.

Those who wish to get vaccinated at the Musical Vaccination Summit, as the event is called, will receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Medical teams from two Sibiu hospitals and Red Cross volunteers will work at the event. Meanwhile, the Sibiu Ballet Theater, Sibiu State Philharmonic, Radu Stanca National Theater, Ilie Micu Arts & Crafts School, and Cindrelul Junii Sibiului Ensemble will perform on the esplanade of Sala Thalia, a concert and theater hall in the city.

In Sibiu county, 21.8% of the population received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, the Sibiu County Council said.

Starting May 8, the option of getting vaccinated without making an appointment on the Government-run booking platform will be available. Those who wish to get vaccinated can show up at the nearest center with their ID papers, but the waiting times depend on the capacity of the respective unit and the number of people already scheduled to receive the jab, who are prioritized, the authorities said. The over 60s can go anytime during the centers’ opening hours, while those younger than 60 are required to turn up after 14:00.

Drive-through vaccination centers opened in various cities in the country in the past weeks, and mobile teams were sent to remote areas in an effort to step up the vaccination pace. Another vaccination marathon was held in Timișoara, the first such event in the country.

By May 5, more than 3.4 million people received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine: 2.13 million received both doses and 1.3 million the first dose. 

The Government aims at 5 million people vaccinated by June.

(Photo: Cateyeperspective/ Dreamstime)

simona@romania-insider.com