Greece plans vaccinations of healthy people in their 40s to begin in June

Greece plans to proceed with the vaccination of citizens in their 40’s by June, Health Minister Vassilis Kikilias said on Sunday. “If everything goes according to plan and [vaccines] deliveries for the second quarter are made on time, vaccinations of healthy people in their 40s against Covid-19 are expected to begin in June,” Kikilias said in an interview with state-run news agency amna.

Note that there is a vaccination program for people with underlying health issues independent of age group currently running in the country.

He again appealed to older people who have not yet been vaccinated to do so as soon as possible, adding that the government will re-examine the issue of mandatory immunization from the autumn.

“As regards our healthcare personnel, 80 percent of our doctors have been vaccinated against the coronavirus. The percentage among nurses is lower but I believe it will rise further. In the autumn, at a neutral time, we will re-examine from scratch the issue of mandatory vaccination,” he said.

He added that the government hopes the pandemic will subside significantly in May.

Replying to a question on when the pandemic is expected to start subsiding, he said that this could not be predicted precisely, while noting that the degree of immunity in the general population has risen significantly during the third wave of the pandemic, from roughly 10 pct at the end of 2020, due to greater exposure to the virus.

Asked whether self-tests might be employed as a prevention measure in order to allow travel over the Easter holidays, Kikilias declined to answer, saying that this was an issue that falls under the purview of the epidemiological experts’ committee.
“What will happen at Easter has not yet been discussed by the Committee. When the time comes, it will examine the facts and make its recommendation accordingly. I have deliberately chosen in the last year not to encroach on its territory,” he said.

Commenting on the pressure that the pandemic has put on the national health system, Kikilias noted that the country currently has 1,513 ICU beds in operation, of which 927 are for Covid-19 patients and 586 for non-Covid patients.