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Continuing to support third countries in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, the government of Lithuania has decided to donate to Armenia 50,000 doses of Spikevax vaccine manufactured by Moderna, it said in a statement on Wednesday.

In consideration of Armenia’s request for assistance, the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Lithuania has been instructed to allocate, by 4 October 2021, 50,000 doses of Spikevax vaccine for humanitarian aid to Armenia out of the existing stock or out of planned purchases of COVID-19 vaccine doses under the Advance Purchase Agreement concluded between the European Commission and the pharmaceutical company Moderna on 25 November 2020. The transfer of humanitarian aid consignments to responsible authorities will be organised by the Ministry of Health in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"I am glad that today we can share with the people of Armenia not only AstraZeneca, but also Moderna vaccines, as Armenians had to wait much longer than Lithuanian citizens for their jab," said Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė. She has stressed that Lithuania will continue to share vaccines with countries that find it more difficult to obtain them than the EU member states.

This year, Lithuania has already donated 200,000 doses of Vaxzevria (AstraZeneca) vaccine to Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, and Armenia, and 255,900 doses to Taiwan. It is the first time Lithuania is donating a Moderna-manufactured vaccine.

Lithuania will continue to contribute to the Team Europe initiative of the EU’s global efforts to manage the pandemic, the statement said.