Health minister: Vaccines enough for all 66,821 registered for seasonal flu

As of October 28, 2026, 66,821 people have registered for the seasonal influenza vaccine in North Macedonia and 3,266 have already been vaccinated — 4.9% of those registered. Vaccinations began on October 21, and the Minister of Health, Sasho Klekovski, said there are enough doses and that every registrant will receive an appointment.

"There are enough vaccines for all those registered, so I ask citizens to be patient — everyone will be called for an appointment," Klekovski said.

Current rollout and daily capacity

According to the Ministry of Health, 6,710 appointments have been scheduled so far. In the last three working days roughly 1,000 people were vaccinated each day. Of the appointments that have already passed, 86.7% were completed and 503 registrants did not show up. With the new scheduling, daily vaccinations are expected to rise to about 1,700.

The greatest demand is among people aged 65 and over, followed by those with chronic illnesses. Registrations are concentrated in Skopje (19,767), Bitola (4,845), Prilep (3,844), Strumica (3,585) and Tetovo (3,581).

The ministry announced a contract for an additional 26,000 doses from manufacturer Sanofi, which are due to arrive by November 15. So far 30,000 doses have been delivered and another 30,000 are scheduled by the end of November. If those deliveries materialize, the total supply would reach 86,000 doses — nearly 20,000 more than the current number of registrants.

Vaccination is free for people over 65, people with chronic conditions, pregnant women, health workers and children aged six months to five years. Registration opened on October 14 via the vakcinacija.mk platform; registrants receive an SMS with the appointment time and location.

Klekovski noted that the influenza season peaks in January and February and that getting vaccinated by the first week of January provides timely protection. He added that health teams are already vaccinating in care homes for the elderly and that vaccinations in dialysis centers should start next week. The ministry asked anyone unable to attend their appointment to cancel it so another registrant can use the slot.

The vaccination drive followed delays in procurement earlier this month. On October 7 Klekovski reported that the initial tender attracted no offers. "No bidder applied to the published tender this year," he said, and linked the delay to global production setbacks after changes in the recommended vaccine composition.

Photo: press material from the event