Coronavirus: 200 personal doctors step up to administer AZ jabs

More than 200 personal doctors and 45 Okypy doctors are interested in administering the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine to their patients, the health ministry announced on Thursday.

Last week, in a bid to speed up the national vaccination process and reduce portal crashes, the ministry asked personal doctors to express their interest in giving patients over the age of 30 the AstraZeneca vaccine.

The move drew mixed reactions from doctors, with some welcoming the move and others questioning its safety.

The ministry’s call drew over 200 doctors, who had until Wednesday to collect expressions of interest from their patients.

Deliveries of 16,000 vaccine doses are already underway, health ministry spokeswoman Margarita Kyriakou told the Cyprus News Agency.

In addition to this number, 45 Okypy doctors and a number of medical centres have expressed an interest in administering the vaccine.

Participating doctors will need to inform their patients and will be responsible for arranging their own vaccination appointments, Kyriakou reminded.

“Each participating doctor is free to create a schedule and arrange appointments as they see fit,” she said.

It should also be noted that they will only be able to vaccinate their registered patients.

Since vaccinations by personal doctors will be performed in conjunction with the national vaccination plan, they will be charged at €10.

Many doctors have said they are planning on donating any money they make from vaccinations to charity.

Vaccination centres will continue operating, with those wanting any other vaccine having to follow the standard procedure through the portal and adhere to age groups.