451,200 doses of Janssen COVID-19 vaccine were airlifted to Dushanbe International Airport on March16. The delivery was made possible under support of the United Kingdom through COVAX, a global initiative to support equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, according to the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Population (MoHSPP).
An official source at a MoHSPP says that at the capital airport, the cargo was received by representatives of the MoHSPP and the British Embassy in Dushanbe.
According to him, 5,096,217 people (more than 92 percent of adult population of Tajikistan) have been vaccinated against the COVID-19 to date.
“At least 97.8 percent of the country’s adult population has got both COVID-19 vaccine shots, 97.3 percent – three COVID-19 vaccine shots, and 82.7 percent – four COVID-19 vaccine shots,” the source added.
In Tajikistan, COVID-19 vaccination campaign was launched on March 23, 2021 and the vaccination is compulsory for people aged 18 and over; in all, 5,826,301 people in Tajikistan must be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Six types of the COVID-19 vaccine are used in Tajikistan for vaccination of the population: CoronaVac; AstraZeneca; Moderna; Pfizer; Sputnik V; and Janssen.
Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine is available under EUA to prevent COVID-19 in individuals 18 years of age and older for whom other FDA-authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccines are not accessible or clinically appropriate, and individuals 18 years of age and older who elect to receive the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine because they would otherwise not receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
The COVID-19 pandemic in Tajikistan is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The virus was confirmed to have spread to Tajikistan when its index cases, in Dushanbe and Khujand, were confirmed on 30 April 2020.
By January 13, 2021, government reported that all cases had either recovered or died, leaving the country free of COVID-19 for the first time since April 2020. However, after five months and twelve days, Tajikistan recorded 63 new COVID-19 cases.
The MoHSPP said on February 25 last year that a total number of the officially confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection in Tajikistan has amounted to 17,388 since April 30, 2020, when its index cases were confirmed in the country.
For the last time, three officially confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) were reported in Tajikistan on February 18, 2022.
A total number of those who have been cured in Tajikistan since April 30, 2020 has reportedly amounted to 17,252 (99.2 percent).
The number of the officially confirmed coronavirus-linked deaths in Tajikistan has been 124.
However, an investigative report by Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service in 2020 revealed that the real number of COVID-19 deaths might be several times higher, including dozens of physicians and nurses who treated COVID-19 patients and later died.
On March 7, 2022, Tajik authorities lifted almost all coronavirus restrictions, including mandatory mask wearing in public places and a temporary ban of traditional ceremonies and celebrations, including weddings.
According to Tajikistan’s Standing Committee on COVID-19 Response, the decision to lift the restrictions was made "while taking into consideration the normalization of the epidemiological situation in Tajikistan."
The restrictions were imposed in July 2020. Wedding parties were limited to up to 40 close family members and had to be held inside private homes.
As of March 7, 2022, the number of participants in wedding parties and other traditional celebrations was raised to up to 200 people.
