"Astrazeneca should be the same as that produced in India and elsewhere", because this is "a fight for all", Pedro Pessoa e Costa told journalists, during the beginning of the administration of vaccines brought by Portugal on Thursday by the delegation of the Portuguese President, who attended the Conference of Heads of State and Government of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP).
Thousands of Portuguese live in Angola and are being covered by the country's state vaccination programs, which administer the vaccines of Pfizer, Astrazeneca, Sinovac and Sputnik B, the latter two not recognized by the European Medicines Authority (EMA, acronym in English ).
This is "a situation that we have been following", explained the ambassador.
The Astrazeneca vaccines distributed under the Covax initiative (a global supply package to the poorest countries) originate from Indian factories and several European countries have raised questions about their certification.
This situation is making it difficult for the Portuguese authorities to recognize Astrazeneca. "Gradually we are working on this access to the certificate", said the diplomat, who preferred to highlight the universal distribution of vaccines in Angola, regardless of nationality.
"This is a fight that should belong to everyone: what matters is vaccination. For the Portuguese community, which was treated equal to all other Angolans", a "generosity" welcomed by Pedro Pessoa and Costa.
As for the recognition of Chinese and Russian vaccines, Sinopharm and Sputnik, administered to the Portuguese, Pedro Pessoa e Costa recognized that this is a more difficult problem to solve.
"Work will have to be done with the Portuguese health authorities and with the European agency, which is responsible for certifying the vaccines", he explained.
