COVID19: More vaccination centres open, 72,000 get jab

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Larnaca opened its second COVID-19 vaccination centre on Friday as Cyprus expands its vaccination program that has covered 8% of its population, with nearly 72,000 people receiving a jab.

“Across the island, some 71,925 people have been vaccinated up to Thursday,” acting director of the Cyprus nursing services administration Evagoras Tampouris told the Cyprus News Agency.

Larnaca’s second centre is at the PASYDY civil servants union building, equipped with seven vaccination stations.

The first vaccination centre is located in the old Larnaca General Hospital.

Cyprus health authorities are now operating 10 vaccination centres, accommodating 5 to 15 stations each.

Tampouris said by the end of Friday; some 214 vaccinations would have been carried out.

He said 8,000 Larnaca residents had received at least the first dose of the vaccine.

The second vaccination centre will also cater to Famagusta district residents.

He urged the public to keep to their scheduled appointment so as not to cause unnecessary overcrowding.

Cyprus plans to reach 15,000 vaccinations per day as vaccine deliveries increase.

In March, Cyprus will receive delivery of more than 164,000 vaccines, with this number increasing in the following months.

Next month Cyprus will receive 107,000 vaccines from AstraZeneca, up from 69,000 in February, another 50,000 from Pfizer, from an average of 28,000 and 7,500 from Moderna.

And Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine expected to get the green light from the European Medicine Agency sometime next month.

Around 70% of people aged over 80 have already been fully vaccinated.

Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou said the target is to vaccinate 300,000 people by the end of April and at least 500,000 in June, which would achieve herd immunity.

He said vaccinations are the only weapon the world has to beat the pandemic and exit lockdowns.