By June, over 60 per cents of the adults in Cyprus who have expressed their wish to be vaccinated against Covid-19 will receive at least the first jab, the health ministry said on Wednesday.

“The main goal for the government is to exit the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic and return to normality through the restart of our economy and our social life,” Dr Olga Kalakouta, acting head of public health services, said in a written statement.

Kalakouta said that currently, a total of four large vaccination centres and nine regular ones were operating, along with 62 more vaccination points, six mobile vaccination units and five groups of specialised health workers vaccinating people at home and in hospitals.

Over 135,000 vaccinations had been administered in Cyprus as of Wednesday, the ministry said, of which 93,475 consisted of first doses. At the same time, more than 1,700 people belonging to vulnerable groups of the population have received the first dose, while 207 people in nursing homes have received both jabs.

The health ministry also announced a significant increase in coverage in the next few weeks with scheduled deliveries of some 270,000 vaccines by the end of April.

Depending on the availability of vaccines, this amount translates into the possibility for another 195,000 people to receive their first dose, bringing the total number of vaccinations (with at least one dose) to 310,000 by the beginning of May, covering vulnerable groups and everyone aged 45 and over.

Cyprus has pre-purchased around four million vaccine doses. Based on official data released by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), 13 per cent of the entire country’s population has received at least the first jab, the fifth highest percentage among EU member states. The average number of doses per 100 people amounts to 14.78.

Kalakouta also said that vaccinations in refugees’ and migrants’ centres, such as the ones in Kofinou and Pournara, will begin in April.