The process will start gradually, due to the arrival of vaccines in the country on the eve, today only in about a dozen vaccination points from north to south of mainland Portugal, but entering in "cruising speed" in the following days.

The first to be called for vaccination will be those over 80 years with comorbidities. Then, people aged 60 years or older, residents and professionals in nursing homes, people aged 12 years or older with diseases at risk, pregnant women aged 18 years or older and people with diseases set by the Directorate-General for Health, health professionals and other care providers can be vaccinated.

The Covid-19 vaccination campaign will already use the vaccines adapted to the Omicron variant and which have been approved by the European regulator (EMA).

However, the original vaccines will continue to be used for primary vaccination against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.

The campaign kicks off at a time when the complete primary vaccination coverage is 93 percent, and the least vaccinated age group is children between 5 and 11 years old, with only 44 percent.