COVID19: Teenagers offered another shot at vaccine

Health authorities are currently giving another chance to teenagers to get vaccinated, as the online COVID-19 vaccination portal went live on Wednesday for ages 18-22; interest, however, is fading.

It is the second time teenagers have the opportunity to book a vaccination.

On Tuesday, the portal closed for people aged 23-27, with just 5,450 appointments out of an available 10,250 were booked.

The Health Ministry has stepped up its vaccination efforts, rebooting the online platform regularly in hopes of reaching its goal of vaccinating 65% of the adult population with one vaccine jab by the end of June.

Cyprus is currently third in the EU for vaccinations, with 74.1 doses per 100 inhabitants, behind Hungary with 9371 and Malta with 125.43 doses.

Closing in on the target set for the end of the month, Cyprus has vaccinated 56.5% of the population with at least one dose, and 37.1% concluded its vaccination scheme.

The portal will remain open for 18–22-year-olds until 5.30 pm on Thursday, June 10.

The portal will revisit everyone aged 40 and over from 11-12 June.

The Health Ministry recommends that people under 50 opt for an mRNA vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna) as AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson jabs are linked to very rare blood clotting incidents.

A 39-year-old British woman died last month after taking an AZ shot in Paphos.

Cyprus vaccination rollout has slowed down over recent days.

According to the vaccination observer website timetoherd.com, last week, Cyprus was due to reach herd immunity (70%) within three months if it had continued with the speed it had built up.

On Wednesday, the same site calculated that it would take the island 143 days to fully vaccinate 70% of the population.