COVID19: Cyprus vaccinates over 103,000

More than 10% of Cypriots have been vaccinated against COVID-19, with 103,283 people receiving at least one shot of an EU approved vaccine, the Health Ministry said on Tuesday.

From that total, 29,821 were given both jabs, thus completing their inoculation against the virus.

Health Ministry spokesperson Margarita Kyriacou said the 73,462 who received the first dose include some 1,345 people who belong to vulnerable groups.

Last week, the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) said that Cyprus had administered the first dose to 9.2% of the population aged 18 and above, averaging 11.42 doses per 100 people.

With health authorities carrying out around 23,000 vaccination appointments per week, vaccinations are expected to reach 120,000 by the end of the weekend.

After successfully vaccinating most people over 75 and at least 80% of health professionals in February, Cyprus is now vaccinating people over 67, working its way down the age ladder.

Health authorities also plan to ramp up vaccinations for people at high risk of serious illness, aiming to vaccinate some 30,000 people belonging to vulnerable groups by the end of March.

Some 9,000 of the 22,808 vaccination slots available on Tuesday were taken within 30 minutes of going online through the vaccination portal.