The vaccinations of children 5-11 have reached a rate of 8.9%, the Director General of the Health Ministry, Christina Yiannaki, said on Saturday in remarks at the vaccination centre operating at the State Fair in Nicosia.
She said this is the fifth walk in, which the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the President of the Cyprus Paediatric Society (CPS), Michael Anastasiades and volunteer paediatricians, is conducting at the state fair, while the second dose is being administered in Limassol.
By that time, the volunteer paediatricians had given around 280 vaccines at the centre, while at the walk in point E' at the State Fair the first, second, third dose was given to anyone who wanted it. Yannakis, noting that "about 300 vaccines have been given there." As the Director General said, this program will continue.
"We will be in Limassol next Saturday. We will also be in Larnaca and on Sunday we will be in the Episcopal Church, in cooperation with the Metropolitan, the President of the Patients, Mr. Koulouma. The Minister of Health and the President of the CEC will be with us to continue this great struggle for vaccinations," he said and stressed that "especially for childhood vaccines we have reached a rate of 8.9%." The rate "satisfies[/B] us and we continue this struggle that we do on a daily basis," he noted. He said that only on Sunday the vaccination centres do not work.
He noted that the percentage of the general population who received the first dose is at 74.7%,[/B] the fully vaccinated is at 71.1% while the percentage of the adult population who are now fully vaccinated is at 84.1%.
"We as the Ministry of Health have set a target to reach 75% fully vaccinated of the general population and we believe that with all this titanic effort we will succeed," he added.
Asked how many children aged 5-11 years have been vaccinated to date, Ms. Giannaki said it is around 6,050 children and added that they continue to do these walk-ins every day, both in Latchia and at the State Fair.
"That is, every day we have an increase in children. Maybe these days because of the frost we only reached about 5,000 vaccines a day, but again people will come and parents will bring their children," she added.
Regarding the vaccination rate for adolescents aged 16-17, he said "we have touched 56%" while for children 12-15 "we have touched 46%." "So we have a very good percentage and we are struggling to reach it because we have to reach the target that we have said with the Minister of Health," he noted.
Implementation of "test to stay" in schools
Asked to give an assessment of the implementation of the "test to stay" measure in schools, Ms. Giannakis said that they will see the results on Monday and will announce them.
"We will see how this program goes. Not to get ahead of ourselves, because it's a very good thing, we will see the results on Monday and again we will let you know," he added.
President PEC: Another 700 children were vaccinated today in Nicosia and Limassol
The President of the Cyprus Paediatric Society (CPS) Michael Anastasiades, asked to assess the progress of the vaccinations, said that "we are absolutely satisfied" and added that "we remain united, we continue the fight in close cooperation always with the Ministry of Health and especially the Director General, who it is commonly accepted that "she is giving her heart and soul to this battle".
"We acknowledge it. We are beside her, beside the state, providing whatever help we can offer and this help cannot be other than our physical presence, which will continue next week, as the General announced, in Limassol, Larnaca and Episkopio and wherever it may be needed in the future," he added.
He noted that today alone another 700 children have been vaccinated in Nicosia and Limassol.
"So, the number, which she (the Director General) had mentioned to you for the vaccination of children 5-11 years old until yesterday has already gone up to about 7.000," he said."
He said that apart from the climatic conditions, in the past period too many children had to remain confined at home, either as cases or contacts of cases. "So, yes, there are some obstacles to this effort, but it is an effort that will not stop until we reach the final target, which is exactly the number that the General has mentioned," he concluded.
Source: CNA
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