COVID19: No SafePass with just one jab

Health authorities in Cyprus will be tweaking the criteria for the issue of a SafePass, with those who have only received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine no longer be allowed to carry a SafePass.

The change in policy will affect some 11,000 Cypriots who have yet to proceed with their second jab, the Health Ministry announced on Tuesday.

Essentially, the ministry noted that those who do not get a second shot of an approved vaccine will be deemed ‘unvaccinated’ and will have to take a private coronavirus test every three days to obtain a SafePass.

“Vaccination with just one dose, according to scientific data, offers lower coverage and does not protect against mutations as well,” noted the ministry.

People who have not yet received a second jab of a COVID-19 vaccine, will now have until 18 October to do so, for their current SafePass to remain valid.

The ministry said that people wanting to get their second shot can do so at one of the walk-in vaccination centres across the island, reiterating that the timeframe between first and second shots differ between the various vaccines.

The period between shots for Pfizer recipients is three weeks, four for Moderna and eight for AstraZeneca.

According to the ministry’s latest update, 81.1% of the island’s adult population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 78.4% are fully vaccinated.