A creative action aimed at informing and raising the awareness of the general public regarding the vaccination for protection against COVID-19, as well as providing practical assistance to citizens to register in the online system vakcinacija.mk was conducted today, 2 June 2021, in Prilep.
This creative action is the first action that is expected to result in smaller actions in certain settlements, such as Roma settlement – Trizla in the municipality of Prilep, as well as rural areas where citizens need digital support to get a vaccination appointment, as well as additional true information through which they would get rid of the false news related to vaccination that is constantly spread on social networks. Considering the fact that in Prilep and the surrounding rural areas live a large number of citizens who face various economic, social and geographical barriers, as well as due to the fact that there are a large number of digitally illiterate people, the news and announcements published by the Government of RNM with the vaccination for protection against Covid-19 cannot reach the general public which makes many citizens unable to get informed, to register and to be vaccinated.
The creative action consisted of a creatively made symbol of the coronavirus and a large-format syringe dedicated to the vaccine against Covid-19. Information on immunization was shared through the distribution of small cardboard symbolic vaccine vials that citizens should receive as soon as possible and as massively as possible to ensure collective immunity. A stand was also opened where citizens had the opportunity to be informed and apply for vaccination, at the very moment.
In the past period in conditions of health crisis and the global pandemic due to Covid-19, marginalized groups of citizens face additional challenges, especially due to the unavailability of vaccines to these groups of citizens who do not have the funds to travel to another city, given the fact that in our city they cannot get vaccinated with a vaccine other than AstraZeneca. Despite the fact that 7 days ago, the first vaccination point was opened in Prilep, currently, only the vaccines of the manufacturer AstraZeneca are applied, which are intended for citizens over 60 years of age, and other citizens are forced to travel to Bitola to receive the vaccine from another manufacturer that exposes them to additional costs that they are unable to cover.
The expectations from the implemented action are the increase of the number of registered citizens for vaccination which will lead to mass immunization and creation of collective immunity in the population in the Republic of North Macedonia which will additionally contribute to easing the protection measures that are often a burden for the citizens who cannot allow continuous observance of them due to the economic or social situation in which they find themselves.
The action was carried out by the Association for Legal Education and Transparency Station P.E.T. from Prilep, together with the partner organizations Association for Development and Promotion of the Roma Community Romano Chachipe (Skopje), National Roma Centrum (Kumanovo), IRIZ – Initiative for Development and Inclusion of Communities from Skopje, the Center for Contemporary Arts from Skopje and the Foundation Open Society – Macedonia.
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* The action is part of the training for creative activism of Roma organizations conducted by the Foundation Open Society – Macedonia with the Center for Contemporary Arts from Skopje, and the training and the creation and implementation of the action are attended by representatives of the Association for Legal Education and Transparency STANICA P. E.T. (Prilep); IRIZ – Initiative for Development and Inclusion of Communities (Skopje); The Association for Development and Promotion of the Roma Community Romano Chachipe (Skopje) and the Association National Roma Centrum (Kumanovo).
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2 June 2021