By June, more than 60% of the adult population who have expressed their desire will have received the vaccine, said the Deputy Director of Medical Services, Dr. Olga Kalakouta.
In a written statement, it notes that vaccination is expected to accelerate in April, as according to the updated schedule, Cyprus is expected to receive an additional 270.000 doses of the four licensed vaccines.
Depending on the availability of vaccines, this amount translates into an additional vaccination of 195.000 people with at least the first dose, bringing the total number of vaccinated (at least one dose) to 1 by the beginning of May, covering vulnerable groups and the general population. aged 310.000 and over, he says.
The 2nd trimester, he adds, is a defining turning point in the Vaccination Plan, since by the end of June, more than 60% of the adult population that has expressed their desire, will have received at least the 1st dose of the vaccine, as there will be an increase in quantities of vaccines that arrive in Cyprus in the next period, due to the increase in their production capacity, worldwide.
13% of the population received at least one dose of the vaccine
To date, more than 135.000 vaccinations have been performed in Cyprus, of which more than 93,475 concern the first dose of the vaccine and the numbers are increasing daily. More than 1 of our fellow citizens have been vaccinated. At the same time, more than 36,000 people belonging to vulnerable groups of the population have received the vaccine, while 1,714 vaccinations have been carried out in people in need of home care, notes Ms. Kalakouta.
According to him, the possibilities of the vaccination program of the Republic of Cyprus depend on the number of vaccine doses that arrive in the country, as our country has secured the maximum amount of vaccines due to it, with the pre-purchase of about 4 million doses of vaccines, corresponding to about 2 million citizens.
According to official data from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), as of Wednesday 24 March, it has received at least one dose of the vaccine, 13% of the total population of the Republic of Cyprus, which ranks 5th among the Member States. of the European Union.
At the same time, according to data maintained by the website OurWorldInData, Cyprus continues to be ranked in the first places, namely in the 5th place in Europe in terms of the administration of at least one dose of vaccines, with an average of 14,78 doses per 100 population ( data until 21 March 2021).
Early April vaccination in closed structures
He also said that from the beginning of April the vaccination program is expected to start in closed structures, such as prisons and reception centers for refugees and immigrants (Pournara - Kofinou).
It is recalled that the existing planning of the National Vaccination Plan against COVID-19, is carried out in the context of the following prioritization plan:
Residents and staff of nursing homes and institutions for chronic diseases of adults.
First-line health professionals (hospital staff with patients Covid-19, in the ICU, TAEP, Ambulance departments, etc.)
People> 80 years old.
People working in PHC centers (Primary Health Care)
People> 75 years old.
Other health professionals / staff.
People> = 16 years old at high risk for serious illness and the rest of the population.
Residing in other closed structures such as prisons and reception centers for refugees and immigrants.