The mass vaccination of dozens of government and state officials that triggered an outrage in the Greek society did not age well. The fiasco of giving immunization priority to high- and low-ranking politicians and wannabe politicians and even their relatives over health-workers forced Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to stop the program that was allegedly aiming to secure the continuity of the state mechanism amid the pandemic.
Wednesday noon, Mitsotakis reportedly “ordered” the suspension of the priority vaccination program for the state officials in crucial positions for the government operation.”
His aides even told media that the PM was “angry.”
Apparently the PM was not angry not about the length of the priority list which he had obviously approved but on ministers, deputies, general secretaries known and unknown officials who posted pictures of their vaccination on social media. An action “selfie with the vaccine” as SYRIZA leader and ex PM Alexis Tsipras described the mass event.
Επιτέλους παίρνουμε τη ζωή στα χέρια μας! Η ελπίδα διαδέχεται τον φόβο και την αγωνία.#σηκώνουμε_μανίκια και εμβολιαζόμαστε για να προστατέψουμε τους εαυτούς μας και τους γύρω μας, για να επιστρέψουμε σταδιακά στην κανονικότητα & να αφήσουμε πίσω μας την περιπέτεια του Covid-19. pic.twitter.com/jxY4fe8r46
— Kostas Vlasis (@KostasVlasis) December 29, 2020
Ο εμβολιασμός δεν είναι μόνο μια πράξη αυτοπροστασίας από τον #COVIDー19. Είναι και πράξη αλληλεγγύης και ανθρωπιάς, γιατί με τον εμβολιασμό μας θα χτίσουμε, όλοι μαζί, το τείχος ανοσίας που είναι απαραίτητο για να νικήσουμε αυτόν τον αόρατο εχθρό.#σηκωνουμε_μανικια #Ελευθερία pic.twitter.com/VmDU1TeP3u
— Stelios Petsas (@SteliosPetsas) December 28, 2020
Το εμβόλιο είναι ελευθερία. Δεν είναι μόνο ζήτημα Δημόσιας Υγείας, είναι ζήτημα ζωής και στάση ζωής.
Προχωράμε με ομοψυχία ώστε σιγά-σιγά να επιστρέψουμε σε μία κανονικότητα, να πάρουμε τις ζωές μας πίσω. #σηκωνουμε_μανικια #εμβολιασμος https://t.co/XVp9uIVAYO pic.twitter.com/FEgJu8VRET— Vassilis Kikilias (@Vkikilias) December 28, 2020
Many of them like the government spokesman, two alternate foreign ministers, health minister and deputy. some hospital manager are aged 35-50 without underlying health issues.
Summary of the weird situation: “By order of Mitsotakis, the priority vaccination of the New Democracy party executives decided by Mitsotakis is being stopped.”
Government spokesman Stelios Petsas had announced on Tuesday that 128 government officials were scheduled to receive the coronavirus jab by the end of January, while last week the list included 45 people.
The scandal broke out when 21 officials rushed to Covid-hospital Sotiria in Athens for a jab on Tuesday. The “storm by the jab-eager crowd” reportedly forced the management to cancel the vaccination of equal number of health-workers.
Some of the officials did not have an appointment for the vaccine and the manager reportedly said he could not turn them away.
Others went to other state hospitals and bragged with pictures they posted on social media. Even the wife of a minister got the jab. She may be a doctor at a public hospital but being a plastic surgeon did not make her a “front-line health-worker in the battle against the Covid-19.”
A total of 66 state officials out of 128 on the list had been vaccinated until Tuesday,” alternate government spokeswoman Aristotelia Peloni told parapolitika FM on Wednesday and the “priority vaccination ends here.”
“The remaining officials on the list will be vaccinated along with the general population,” she added.
Peloni said that the PM’s office criticized the celebratory posts by ministers on social media following their vaccination.
Tuesday evening and while the scandal had broken out, Health Minister Vassilis Kikilias claimed that the “priority vaccination of state officials was approved by the health experts committee.
Greece started rolling out the Covid-19 vaccine over the weekend with a “symbolic” inoculation of politicians in what was seen as a bid to build public confidence for the vaccine.
The priority mass vaccination of New Democracy members, though, did not trigger outrage on social media only, but prompted also the reaction of healthcare personnel and opposition parties who criticized the government for special treatment to the close crise of co-workers.
PS As a friend said: “the vaccination fiasco showed the cynicism and and indifference of those ruling the country towards the rest of the society, the health workers, the high-risk and the vulnerable people. In addition it proved that the political staff has zero quality of political staff, and confirmed the magnitude of the government disgrace. Without doubt, it was the event of the year.”
To tell you the truth the whole action reminded me of those who rush to the buffet at a private party or official reception and fill their plates as if food would disappear from earth in the next hour.
Mitsotakis: it’s all in the name, because an apple doesn’t fall far from the three. Just like his father, this man can not be trusted and belongs to the same pile of corrupt politicians who reigned Greece via favouritism and bribing during the past 50 years. And in the meanwhile voters haven’t learned anything from the past and will continue to vote for people like the PM and then complain and whine afterwards if they find out that that by voting they are responsible for all this shit.
This is sparta! Did we expect something different?
Not a minute too late! Doctors and nurses, old people with illnesses should have the vaccin first! Not the elite government and their “followers”.
I am only surprised at the inept way these self-serving political gravy-trainers have conducted themselves in such a public manner.
Are they saying “See, I am getting the vaccine before you because I am more important than you”?
Usually, like elsewhere in the world, it is kept under wraps in order to avoid a public outcry.
Obviously, they consider themselves invulnerable to the opinions of the Greek population.
However, as the old saying goes “What goes around comes around”.