Filenews 30 June 2020 - by Marilena Panagi
With privileges for the vaccinated, which will also act as a lever of pressure to the unvaccinated, the Government will probably proceed which, as everything shows today, will record the recommendations of the various Ministries and the members of the Advisory Scientific Committee, in order to arrive at the final proposals that will be put before the Council of Ministers for approval on Friday evening.
In the "basket" of possible pressures have already entered:
--The return of SafePass to the open spaces of the dining premises.
-The granting of honorary permission to those soldiers who proceed with their vaccination. This intention of the Ministry of Defence was released early yesterday morning as information. There is also talk of providing more costs to the militiamen who will put in a vaccine, provided that the rest are tested using the PCR method.
-The discontinuation of free rapid antigen diagnostic tests for the general population, so that people who need a negative result for SafePass purposes reflect on their vaccination.
-Incentives for public service undertakings (including catering establishments) to declare their premises in 'covid free zones' and to accept only vaccinated persons/customers on their premises. In Greece they are developing the dining areas in a section only for vaccinated and in a section mixed for vaccinated and non-vaccinated.
-The support of companies/enterprises to promote vaccination among their employees. In this context, the granting of additional rest leave to vaccinated workers is discussed.
-At the same time, despite the fact that the Government does not seem determined to proceed, for the time being, to 'punitive' measures for unvaccinated persons, yesterday some information brought the Ministries concerned to study some of the suggestions put forward for discussion, such as the ban on entry for unvaccinated people indoors and at work, (likely to provoke strong reactions) and the presentation of negative tests every 48 or 72 hours for employees. However, the extreme scenario in order to make a separation, was rejected yesterday in public by government Representative Kyriakos Kousios who had been asked to clarify the situation following a statement by the President of the Republic on Monday night.
It is worth mentioning that during their meeting with the President of the Republic the members of the Scientific Advisory Committee, for the most part, opposed the implementation of 'punitive' measures while at the same time suggesting the need for a new campaign to inform citizens about the benefits of vaccination.
Everything, of course, is currently moving on the basis of information since the inter-ministerial steering committee is expected to meet today to prepare the outline of the proposals to be put before the Cabinet. The meeting will also be attended by the new Health Minister Michalis Hatzipantellas who will also be present at the Cabinet meeting on Friday as he takes office on the morning of the same day.
However, outgoing Health Minister Konstantinos Ioannou, in his statements yesterday stressed that "the Government's intention is not to reinstate strict restrictive measures, but considers that targeted measures should be taken so that the socialization of the world continues but safely".
The 42-year-old's death will be investigated.
Under the microscope of the pharmacovigilance service will eventually put the death of the 42-year-old who was attributed to a thromboembolic episode. Although the first indications do not appear to lead to a link to her two-month vaccination with an AstraZeneca vaccine, the woman's personal doctor has entered a report into the 'yellow card' system which is supplemented in cases of side effects following vaccination which obliges the competent authorities to consider every eventuality and follow all appropriate procedures.
In a statement, deputy director of pharmaceutical services Elena Panagiotopoulou said that "the delivery of the "yellow card" took place at 7:47 a.m., and means that the personal doctor believes that the 42-year-old's death is linked to her vaccination against the coronavirus pandemic two months ago". The pharmaceutical services, she said, "upon receipt of the "yellow card" have an obligation to investigate the incident and examine the relevant findings, based on a defined algorithm by the World Health Organization that includes a total of nine criteria. The classification of the incident will then be made according to a possible interconnection, unlikely interconnection or certain interconnection of the thromboembolic episode with the vaccination of the unfortunate 42-year-old'.
Commissioner: 'Teenagers to decide on their vaccination'
Legislation allowing adolescents to decide on their vaccination against the virus is recommended by the Commissioner for the Protection of the Rights of the Child, Despo Michailidou, arguing that "children should not find themselves in the midst of long and difficult court proceedings if their parents or guardians disagree with each other on this matter".
Ms. Michailidou explained that "a few times", her Office, "was confronted with the handling of cases relating to the access of minors to medical services, at their own request and the necessary consent from a parent or guardian, such as follow-up by a psychologist or a visit to a family planning specialist on sexuality issues". She said, "changes must be made to take into account the stages of the child's development and abilities. We have stressed many times that depending on maturity and emotional development, the child's own point of view should be taken seriously."
Meanwhile, yesterday the paediatric society of Cyprus called on parents not to hesitate to consent to the vaccination of their children, with the president of paediatric doctors explaining that cases of myocarditis recorded internationally following vaccination of adolescents and young adults should not act as a deterrent. "As the data on this issue drags on, especially the safety that is the main concern for parents and is what may reduce compliance with this call for vaccinations, it essentially turns out that there is no serious cause for concern." "There are very few cases reported for myocarditis," he said, adding that "there have been some cases of myocarditis, but they are incomparably smaller than those observed either after covid infection or after infection with other viruses."
