Filenews 12 February 2021
The Minister of Health, Konstantinos Ioannou, reassures citizens about the safety and efficacy of the AstraZeneca vaccine. Speaking to reporters about the progress of implementing the National Vaccination Plan, Mr Ioannou said that so far 41,673 people have been vaccinated, of whom 14,105 completed their vaccination, after receiving both doses.
This is the position of the Minister of Health, Konstantinos Ioannou:
We found it useful to proceed to today's conference some 1.5 months after the start of vaccinations in our country, at the same time as the other countries of the European Union.
We are now in the third phase of the National Vaccination Plan for COVID-19, i.e. in the age group 75-79, having completed vaccination in nursing homes, while within the next few days the vaccination coverage of health professionals is completed. As of yesterday, 41,673 people were vaccinated, of which 14,105 completed their vaccination after receiving both doses, while as of today the Vaccination Portal was opened for people over 76 years of age, with the aim and according to the total deliveries of all 3 vaccines of AstraZeneca, Moderna and Pfizer, to shield by the end of February the age of 75 years and above , as well as specific groups of vulnerable groups.
It is recalled that the aim of the National Vaccination Plan as defined was and is to protect vulnerable groups, including our elderly, who are most vulnerable to the virus and it is this group that has the greatest risk of being hospitalized.
Unfortunately, the evidence speaks for itself. 182 of our fellow citizens out of a total of 218 and 83%, who died with a final cause of death in COVID-19 were aged 70 and over, while the average age of the deceased is 79 years. At the same time, since the onset of the pandemic, about half of the cases hospitalized in Intensive Care and Increased Care Units were 70 years of age or older. Currently, the average age of nurses is 64 years and the average age of those hospitalized in MAF and ICU is 66 years.
It is these fellow citizens who fall into this age group, which we have set ourselves the primary objective of protecting. And it is these fellow citizens who, through vaccination, regardless of vaccine, will shield them against the virus, reducing the rate of hospitalization and saving lives. After all, since the beginning of the pandemic, our only goal has been to protect human life, the most precious commodity, and to this we remain committed.
And because in recent days there has been a public debate about the effectiveness of the AstraZeneca vaccine in people over the age of 65, on the occasion given to me I want to make it clear once again. The decision to continue vaccination coverage without age restrictions was based on the terms of the EMA's authorisation of the vaccine. 27 representatives of scientists from the EU Member States participating in the EMA, studying the data before them decided that AstraZeneca vaccine would be given to people aged 18 years and over without age restrictions.
This position of the EMA was reinforced on Wednesday by the recommendation of the World Health Organisation, which assessed it as safe for people over 65. The effectiveness of the AstraZeneca vaccine has not only not been questioned by any official authority in any State, but is instead given to millions of elderly citizens in the United Kingdom, where there is a vertical decline in nurses, confirms our choice to vaccinate the elderly first, protecting them from severe illness and/or death.
I understand and understand the confusion caused by the strategy of other countries to set age restrictions on the administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine. Some countries have set an age limit of 55, others 65 and others 70 and others follow EMA indications.
In itself the differentiation and disparity observed in the decisions on age limits confirms the fact that countries have relied not only on scientific data, but on a number of other factors (Vaccination Programme, availability of vaccines, etc.) depending on the strategy of each country. And the strategy of Cyprus, I repeat, was and is in the first place to save lives.
We are at a very decisive moment in the management of the pandemic and every step must be taken carefully and carefully in order to achieve its purpose. We cannot afford to get in the way of public controversy and spread the doubt about which vaccine is best. We must remain committed to our goal, and the general assumption is that vaccination saves lives. The risk of delaying vaccination is multiple of the benefit, especially for older ages, since possible contamination in the time one waits for the vaccine of his choice, puts his safety and health at risk.
Although the Vaccination Portal now gives each of us the opportunity to inform and select the type of vaccine to be given to it, we should all keep in mind that there is no room for rejection of one vaccine over another.
And because for the next few weeks the planned deliveries for Pfizer and Moderna vaccines concern small quantities that will not be able to meet the needs of all concerned directly, they should consciously be aware that there may be a delay in their vaccination coverage, with all that this entails.
I am sure that, at this stage, most of us have understood that in order to break free from the pandemic and return to normality, we need to show confidence in experts and scientific documentation. We all have a duty to behave responsibly and seriously, setting aside any confrontations that confuse and upset the citizens. Only with agreement and unity can we save the lives of our loved ones and our own.
The adviser of the Ministry of Health on vaccine issues, Christos Petrou states:
- All three vaccines have been deemed safe and effective. The reluctance of some countries may be based on some concerns, but the absence of proof is not proof of the lack of effectiveness.
- Tackling the pandemic needs speed. As long as we let the virus circulate, we'll have more mutations.
- All vaccines are approved.
Source: eyenews
