Cyprus Mail 19 November 2020 - by Evie Andreou
A plan has already been drawn up for the coronavirus vaccination process, the health ministry said on Thursday after EU commissioner for health Stella Kyriakides announced that some of the vaccines are expected to be approved by the European Medicines Agency before Christmas or early in 2021.
The health ministry said in a written statement that a plan has already been drawn up for the coronavirus vaccination process in the cooperation with the scientific advisory committee on coronavirus.
“The population groups that will be called to be vaccinated first have been determined on the basis of an algorithm,” the ministry said.
And it added that announcements in recent days by pharmaceutical companies carrying out clinical trials on a coronavirus vaccine were encouraging, since results are positive.
The ministry recalled that Cyprus is participating as an EU member state in all four agreements signed through the European Commission.
It has already submitted its respective quantities: 600,000 doses from AstraZeneca, 200,000 from Johnson & Johnson and 200,000 from Pfizer / BioNTech. Sanofi Pasteur & GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals have not yet asked the countries to place orders, it said.
“Due to the different technologies used by each company for the development of the vaccine, it was decided to participate in all agreements with the maximum number allowed so that Cyprus can have the safe and effective vaccine that will be licensed at its disposal at the same time as the other member states,” it said.
Vaccinations will take place at the vaccination centres and the procedures that will be followed will be determined once there is an indication as to when the vaccine will be available, the ministry said.
Kyriakides told state broadcaster CyBC on Thursday morning that some vaccines could be approved by the European Medicines Agency before Christmas or at the beginning of 2021.
She noted that by the end of November, member states must be ready in terms of infrastructure to receive, store and distribute the vaccines. A health ministry source said that as regards storage, this will depend on which vaccine will be licenced.
Kyriakides gave assurances that under the agreements no member state would have priority in the distribution of the vaccines and that this would be done quickly and simultaneously in all member states.
Responding to a question, she said that based on initial information, the vaccines will be provided free of charge.
She estimated that there would be six possible vaccines in the European Union portfolio but did not know which ones would eventually be approved.
Vaccination is the only way for countries to escape the pandemic’s grip, she stressed and called on everyone to follow the measures.
