Ro
En
Рy
The first newsroom to be vaccinated against the coronavirus in the capital was the Oameni și Kilometri team. Soon, they were followed by the staff from RISE Moldova, Radio Europa Liberă, Newsmaker, Pro TV Chișinău, TV8, Sănătate Info, and TVR Moldova editorial boards.
“I CHOOSE TO TRUST SCIENCE”
On April 14, the director of the Chisinau office of Radio Europa Liberă, Vasile Botnaru, announced on Facebook that half of the station’s staff was vaccinated with the AstraZeneca serum donated by Romania, and the other staff would get vaccinated later. “Our newsroom colleagues are the ones we spend most of our time with. Sometimes we cannot even give our family the same number of hours, though the pandemic makes us keep the distance from each other. Thus, we find it natural to take care of each other, almost like in any family”, Vasile Botnaru specifies for Media Azi.
Directorul biroului din Chișinău al Radio Europa Liberă. Sursa foto: Vasile Botnaru/Facebook
51 employees of the TV8 channel were immunized during three days, in groups of 5, 10, or 20 people each. At least two more persons are about to get vaccinated shortly afterwards. Viorica Tataru, who takes part in preparing several TV8 broadcasts, mentions that she is also vaccinated with the AstraZeneca serum, together with her other TV colleagues, according to the vaccination plan. “I have considered several opinions, both for and against immunization, and I choose to trust science,” the journalist states.
Viorica Tataru, „Camerawomen” de la TV8. Sursa foto: Viorica Tataru/Facebook
“I did not want to contract the disease, and that was why I got vaccinated,” the Russian-language editor of RISE Moldova, Vladimir Thoric says.
Vladimir Thoric, RISE Moldova. Sursa foto: Vladimir Thoric
He takes an advantage of the situation to make a joke about a fairly common myth circulating among Internet users, according to which the businessman Bill Gates is somehow involved in the vaccination process which is rumored to be intended for “chipping” the population. “Besides, I am looking forward to establishing a direct connection with Gates himself as soon as possible,” the investigative journalist jokes.
Echipa RISE Moldova, la vaccinare. Sursa foto: Vladimir Thoric
A SHIELD AGAINST COVID-19
Svetlana Gore, a TVR Moldova reporter specializing in health-related issues, has been vaccinated a few days ago. “Once I learned that I had an opportunity to get immunized, I was eager to go through it from the very start without pondering over it for a long while,” she comments. The journalist claims she was vaccinated because “this is the only rescue from this pandemic”. “Too many people have died, and too many have contracted this infection to question the existence of the virus and the effectiveness of an anti-COVID serum. We need to develop a collective immunity, and our own example can contribute to this goal. I have chosen to get vaccinated because my job involves interacting with many people on a daily basis. There is a risk of infection even if I am properly equipped and keep physical distance. I know this vaccine will be my shield against COVID-19”, Svetlana Gore explains.
Svetla Gore, la punctul de vaccinare împotriva Covid-19. Sursa foto: Svetlana Gore/Facebook
On April 17, a part of the Newsmaker.md portal team got vaccinated with the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine at the family doctors’ center in Chisinau. Like their other colleagues, they scheduled their vaccination after filing an application to the medical institution located near the editorial office.
The deputy editor-in-chief of the publication, Olga Gnatcova, told Media Azi that she was motivated to get vaccinated against COVID-19 by the illness and death of some of her close people, and also “the understanding that even if I am fine, if I get sick repeatedly I might unwillingly infect someone who may suffer a lot.”
Olga Gnatcova, la un centru al medicilor de familie din municipiul Chișinău. Sursa foto: Olga Gnatcova/Facebook
“Moreover, I still trust science and experience of vaccination in the 20th century. Vaccines have saved us from many diseases. Why not try to approach the end of the current pandemic?” the journalist asks a rhetorical question.
O parte din echipa portalului Newsmaker.md care s-a imunizat. Sursa foto: Newsmaker
She also considers the importance of promoting the vaccination campaign among those who are still hesitating. “As one of my colleagues says, journalists provide citizens with one of their fundamental rights – the right to be informed. Hence, it is especially important now that as many journalists as possible stay “in the ranks” and have an opportunity to discuss any event freely. And, at the same time, they need to be not afraid for their own safety or for protagonists of their materials whom they could accidentally infect,” Olga Gnatcova says.
In Romania, journalists were in the second stage of vaccination which started in mid-January. As to the press on the other bank of the Prut, “media staff whose duties involve essential risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 infection”, for instance, making their reports from medical institutions, are included in his category. In the other neighboring state, Ukraine, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced in early March that journalists and priests could be included in the list of persons eligible for priority vaccination against COVID-19. At the same time, according to the data from the Ministry of Health in Kiev, from April 12, all doctors, defense staff on the front, social workers, priests, and persons aged over 80 would be vaccinated. Journalists are not listed as a separate category eligible for priority immunization.
Sursa foto: smi2.ru
