More than 30 per cent of the 19,246 Covid vaccination appointments for people with diabetes and severe obesity were booked early on Monday, according to the health ministry.

The appointments became available online at 8am and some 6,000 were booked within the first three hours, the health ministry said early in the day.

The portal will remain open until 7pm on Thursday.

The slots are available for people with diabetes type I and type II who take insulin and to people with diabetes suffering from macrovascular and/or microvascular complications such as coronary artery disease, peripheral angiopathy, chronic kidney disease, stroke history, carotid artery disease and retinopathy.

Eligible are also people with severe obesity whose BMI is over 40, or whose BMI is over 35 and suffer from metabolic syndrome.

Appointments can be made by people in these groups regardless of age, the ministry said.

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