Coronavirus: Portal for 61-63 group reopens, 100,000 Pfizer jabs by June (updated)

The vaccination portal will be opening on Thursday with 9,707 available slots only for people aged 61 to 63, the health ministry said.

The portal will be open between 7.30am and 8pm with 9,707 slots for Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines.

The inoculation of the particular age group had been interrupted after the portal crashed last week amid heavy traffic and a rush to secure appointments for Pfizer and Moderna jabs, which are fewer.

Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou said on Wednesday Cyprus expected to receive an additional 100,000 Pfizer doses by June.

According to the ministry, by April 13, 193,537 people had received at least one dose of a Covid vaccine and 56,533 had received both doses.

The ministry said 10,693 people belonging to vulnerable groups have also received one dose while mobile units administered jabs to 715 bedridden individuals.

Close to 82 per cent of people over 80 have received at least one dose while the coverage of people between 70 and 79 reached 76.34 per cent.

The inoculation of people aged 70 and above had positive results, the ministry said, as the number of infections among them has dropped significantly. A marked reduction was also seen in hospitalisations.

In the meantime, health authorities continue the vaccination of people over 55.

The aim is to at least administer the first dose of the vaccine to individuals over 45 by the beginning of May, the ministry said.

Cyprus expects to receive one million doses between December 2020 and June this year.

“Vaccinating against Covid-19 is out shield against the virus and the way to return to more normal conditions sooner,” the ministry said. “With the vaccine, we limit the risk of serious illness, hospitalisation, and death to a minimum.”