Speaking to reporters about the course of the national vaccination plan, the minister said that so far 41,673 people have been vaccinated, including 14,105 who have received both doses.

He noted that soon the vaccination of all health professionals will be completed and that as of today the Vaccination Portal for people 76 years of age and over is open.

Minister Ioannou said that the primary target is to protect the older people, who are more vulnerable, as seen by the data as well, since 83% of the people who died due to COVID-19 were 70 years old and over.

Regarding recent discussions about the effectiveness of the AstraZeneca vaccine, the minister said that the decision to continue the vaccination without age limits was based on the license terms of the European Medicines Association. He added that 27 scientists from the EU member-states who participate in EMA, studied the evidence and decided that the AstraZeneca vaccine will be administered to people aged 18 and over without any age limits.

This position was also strengthened by the recommendation of the World Health Organization, which evaluated the AstraZeneca vaccine safe for people over 65.

(philenews)

Source: In-Cyprus