On the occasion of the signing of the Contract for the construction of the Mental Health Center in Nicosia, the Minister of Health, Mr. Michalis Hadjipandella, made statements on issues of concern to the Ministry of Health.
Asked about the case of a three-year-old child for whom treatment is pending abroad, which however can not be carried out at the moment due to the refusal of his parents to be vaccinated to allow them to enter foreign countries, Mr. Hadjipandella said: "I want to say that I am very saddened by this fact, that a small child is deprived of treatment abroad, specifically in Germany, because his parents are unvaccinated." He added that as the Ministry of Health it respects the measures taken by other countries, and that all the necessary actions that could have been taken were taken.
Referring to the epidemiological data and discussions on a possible easing of the measures, Mr. Hadjipandela said that the epidemiologists unanimously agreed that a relaxation of the measures would be considered at the next meeting of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Tuesday, February 1st. "The measures that have been discussed in the past few days are children aged 12-17 who are not vaccinated to be given the opportunity to go to cafes or restaurants with a rapid test or SafePass, to see if we should increase the number at weddings and baptisms, and to consider whether dancing should be allowed again. " These possible relaxations will depend on the number of cases but also on the hospitalizations, based on the reports of OKYPY, he added.
Regarding the implementation of the "test to stay" measure, the Minister stated: "I want to mention that more than two thousand children today, who have taken the test and are negative, are currently in the classroom instead of at home. At the same time, their parents, instead of being at home and taking care of their children, are at work. Our goal of having children in schools seems to have been achieved. "There are some problems as normal, and we will see them at the meeting next Monday." The consultation with the Police, Fire Brigade and OKYPY for the extension of the "test to stay" in these bodies will begin immediately, as he stated.
Answering a question about the number of deaths and post COVID patients, Mr. Hadjipandella stated that the message of the Ministry of Health to the citizens is to be vaccinated. "Most of these deaths are unvaccinated, and unfortunately we have that outcome. But at the same time we must not forget that our country is fourth lowest in the European Union in terms of deaths. "We have a very low mortality rate and that is very important."