Cyprus Mail 15 December 2020 - by Evie Andreou
In total 38 vaccination centres will operate for the administration of the vaccines against Covid-19, the first doses of which expected to arrive in Cyprus within the coming weeks, it was announced on Tuesday.
The health ministry held a press conference to announce the details on the arrival and the vaccination programme. Though no exact date was given on the arrival of the first doses, Minister Constantinos Ioannou said that in a few weeks, EU member states will have access to the vaccine against Covid-19.
With the joint provision of vaccines, Cyprus will have the first doses at the same time as all other EU member states, he said.
“The vaccine is the beginning of the end but not the end of the road,” Ioannou said, as some measures will continue for some time.
“We will continue to live by applying the simple personal protection measures that offer us greater protection but also more relaxed restrictions in various aspects of our daily lives. Protective masks, personal hygiene and social distancing will continue to be part of our routine. The vaccine will give us the opportunity to gradually proceed to the careful lifting of many restrictions. However, care will still be needed before we can be certain that the situation has returned to normal.”
Ioannou said the creation and production of the vaccine was “a milestone in humanity’s titanic campaign to overcome this unprecedented health crisis, end the global disruption and help us get on with our lives, get back to work. us, our friends and our loved ones”.
“I want to express once again my gratitude for the high sense of responsibility of the vast majority of our society. I will not tire of repeating that I understand the objections and listen to the concerns of professionals and entrepreneurs affected by the restrictive measures. “I recognise that there is fatigue, this was to be expected after so many months of prolonged uncertainty and change,” he added.
The minister said the timely taking of measures and stepping them up recently allowed the government not to go ahead with a second full lockdown.
“We are in a better position and we have managed to avoid the harsh measures that have been in place since the beginning of November in other European countries, which we see being extended until the beginning of next year,” Ioannou added.
The details on the vaccination programme were given by deputy head of the state medical services Olga Kalakouta.
According to Kalakouta, the vaccination centres will operate between 8am and 6pm and in extraordinary cases up to 7pm while vaccinations will take place only by appointments through an online portal. The portal will also remind people of the second dose.
Priority will be given to people in vulnerable groups starting with staff and residents of nursing homes and care homes for people with chronic diseases and healthcare professionals.
The first dispatch to Cyprus is expected to be around 168,000 doses, while doses are expected to arrive every three months, Kalakouta said.
According to Kalakouta, two special refrigerators are expected to be delivered on December 19 for the storage of the vaccines. Pfizer vaccines need to be stored in minus 75 degrees Celsius, while those of Moderna can be stored at higher temperatures but still need special storage, she said.
