COVID19: Vaccinations snapped up by 29-30-year-olds

Cyprus vaccination rollout on Monday reached people in their late 20’s, with the online booking portal reportedly playing up once again in a rush for appointments.

Last Thursday, the portal crashed, staying offline for the whole day, delaying the vaccination rollout and causing public outrage.

Following several crashes, the portal has been modified to streamline procedures, and the Innovation Ministry insisted the system was operating smoothly on Monday.

In the first two hours of going live, some 8,400 of 12,598 appointments (67%) for people aged 29 and 30 were grabbed.

The portal opened at 7.30 am and will close at 8 pm.

On Sunday, the Health Ministry said vaccinations continue at a rapid pace, in the race to vaccinate 65% of the population with at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by the end of June.

The 31- and 32-year-olds were eligible for vaccination appointments on Sunday, with about 8,300 slots taken within an hour of the online portal opening at 7.30 am.

Cyprus ranks sixth in the EU for administering the first dose of Covid vaccines.

Up until 8 May, 36% of the adult population had received a first jab and 11% were fully vaccinated.

The ministry noted that vaccinations have started to pay off, as older groups, with higher vaccination coverage make up for a smaller percentage of people contracting the virus or hospital admission.

Cyprus has registered almost 70,000 cases of Covid-19 infection and 336 deaths since the pandemic started in March 2020.