A vaccination programme for residents of mountain areas is planned by the Ministry of Health in the near future, for the expansion of the vaccination programme for COVID-19, as the Minister, Michalis Hadjipantela, announced today in his statements to the Press, adding that the goal is to neither become complacent nor take strict measures.
Asked about the low rate of vaccination for the coronavirus, he said that, following this finding, the Ministry is moving forward with new promotional actions in the coming weeks to inform the public about the need for vaccination. The goal, he said, is “to call again on people to get vaccinated with both the flu vaccine and the COVID-19 vaccine.”
The main argument for the necessity of vaccination, he said in response to a journalist’s question, is not to risk entering hospitals. “At the moment the picture is not alarming, but let’s not get to alarming pictures in order to vaccinate,” he added, answering a question about whether hospitalizations of patients with COVID-19 constitute an alarming picture.
The vaccinations planned in mountain areas will be announced in the coming days, said Hadjipantela. He explained that these vaccinations will concern COVID-19, but thoughts are being made to include the flu vaccine as well. “This year the vaccines have come on time and flu vaccinations have already started and there is an increased response,” he added, as, according to the data available to the Ministry, flu vaccinations since October have exceeded 75,000.
Regarding the fifth dose of the vaccines for COVID-19, he said that within days, an announcement will be issued again, so that the people know who are the beneficiaries of the fifth dose.
Asked whether the meetings with the Advisory Committee are continuing, he said that after last week’s meeting, “what was agreed upon in that meeting will be implemented and depending on the numbers we will see in the next few days.” He concluded that “our goal is not to implement strict measures, but to ensure that there is no complacency and that people do their own thing”.
Source: Cyprus News Agency