Coronavirus: Portal to open for 18-21 age group as vaccinations pick up pace

The health ministry on Friday announced the dates the vaccination portal will open in the upcoming week, completing coverage for all age groups 18 and over and focusing on giving those who missed their chance to book a vaccine appointment a second opportunity to do so.

According to the ministry, as of May 13, 42.5 per cent of the population (314,163 people) had received their first dose of the anti-coronavirus vaccine, while 13.3 per cent of the population (98,605 people) were fully vaccinated.

By Thursday, 412,768 jabs were administered, corresponding to 46.9 doses per 100 inhabitants. This means Cyprus is third in vaccination coverage among EU member states.

Having reached the goals set to achieve substantial coverage among those aged 45 and over by early May, the health ministry will complete the process of offering everyone aged 18 and over the chance to book a vaccine appointment.

Afterwards, priority will be given to those belonging to older age groups who missed their chance to book the first time around.

This upcoming weekend, the portal will open for the 50-54 age group on Saturday May 15 and for the 55-60 age group on Sunday May 16.

The schedule for the period between May 15 and 22 is as follows:

*The portal will open in June specifically for persons aged 18-21 who are studying in universities abroad. The exact date will be announced shortly, but in the meantime the ministry asks students who are currently abroad not to book any appointments on May 17-18 as they will not be able to attend them and will not be allowed to rearrange them.

The vaccination programme will continue islandwide with all available vaccines, while personal doctors will administer the AstraZeneca jab to interested patients aged 20 and over.

The ministry painted a positive picture, noting that vaccinations have had a positive impact on the epidemiological picture, contributing towards lowered coronavirus cases and a lower positivity rate among vaccinated age groups, as well as a fall in hospital admissions.