Disy leader Averof Neophytou was given the coronavirus vaccine on Monday, making sure to clarify that he had received the AstraZeneca vaccine amid a concerted push by authorities to ease concerns about the specific vaccine.

“It was the turn of my age group for the vaccination. I was administered the AstraZeneca. I feel fine. Congratulations to the medical staff for their exemplary work,” he wrote on Twitter, also posting photos of the jab and his vaccination card.

The Disy president also made a statement to the press, praising the excellent organisation and congratulating health ministry officials, the health minister and his associates and thanking medical staff for flawless way vaccinations are being carried out.

“Our country will move forward, we will achieve what we should, herd immunity, if we all trust licensed vaccines and go ahead with the necessary vaccination,” he said.

Cyprus’ vaccination roll-out has hit a road bump amid skepticism over the AstraZeneca vaccine following reports of possible links to very rare cases of blood clotting.

Despite assurances from the European Medicines Agency (EMA), government officials and doctors, Cypriots have continued to turn their backs on AstraZeneca.

Over the past few days, demand on the vaccination portal has been overwhelmingly for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, with all available vaccines of the two companies being snapped up within minutes, while thousands of AstraZeneca jabs remain available.

With availability of AstraZeneca vaccines some four times that of the other two vaccines, authorities face an uphill battle to build confidence in it if Cyprus’ target of vaccinating up to 60 per cent of the adult population by the end of summer is to be achieved.