Slovenia to donate 10,530 Pfizer vaccines to the Czech Republic

Slovenia will donate 10,530 Pfizer Covid-19 vaccines to the Czech Republic as aid in tackling the COVID-19 epidemic, Slovenian media reported on Friday, citing a decision made by the government on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Janez Janša said this was a gesture of solidarity with the Czech Republic. He did not specify when the vaccines would be sent to Prague. His cabinet announced that the vaccines will be sent directly to the Czech Republic from the producer and taken from one of the upcoming shipments allocated to Slovenia.

Last Friday, Czech PM Andrej Babiš received 40,950 Pfizer vaccines from Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó at the O2 Universum vaccination center in Prague.

In April, supplies of vaccines were promised to the Czech Republic by Slovenia, Austria and Hungary.

They agreed on sending about 80,000 doses in solidarity after the Czech Republic disagreed with a proposed compromise on distributing an additional ten million vaccines throughout the EU. At the time, the Czech Republic was one of Europe's most coronavirus-afflicted countries.

Czech government spokesperson Jana Adamcová previously said the vaccines would only be a loan to the Czech Republic.

"In the case of the vaccines from Austria, Hungary and Slovenia, they will be a loan we would return as soon as we have enough vaccines," she said at the time.

It is not clear when and under what conditions Czechia would return the vaccines.

"No deadlines have been set, it is a gentlemen's agreement at the level of prime ministers," Adamcová said.

According to Slovenian media, however, the 10,530 vaccines will be a gift from Ljubljana to Prague.

In the same way, the 100,000 Pfizer vaccines provided to the Czech Republic by Serbia, which arrived in Prague from Belgrade on May 31, are also considered a gift.