Coronavirus: First dose vaccination coverage nearing 80 per cent

Over 30 per cent teenagers between 16 and 17 and almost 78 per cent of the adult population have received at least the first dose of an anti-Covid vaccine, the health ministry said on Tuesday.

With just a week until the end of August when the health ministry said it aimed to vaccinate at least 80 per cent of the adult population against the virus, data, as of August 23, showed that 77.6 per cent of adults had received the first dose while 72.3 per cent completed their vaccination.

Meanwhile, about two months after the extension of the national vaccination scheme to those under 18, some 34.4 per cent of 16 and 17-year-olds have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while another 25.6 per cent were fully vaccinated.

For children aged 12 to 15, the vaccination percentage stands at 14 per cent with the first dose between August 2 and 23.

Vaccination coverage rose across all age groups since the last report on August 12.

People aged 40 and above have the highest vaccination coverage, over 80 per cent, while the vaccination coverage for people over 80 rose to 97 per cent.

According to the data, 59 per cent of people aged between 20 and 29 received at least one dose while almost 70 per cent of the 30 to 39 age group have received at least one jab.

For young adults aged 18 to 19, the vaccination percentage stands at 47 per cent.

By district, Larnaca has the lowest vaccination coverage with 71.6 per cent of its eligible population having received at least one dose, while Paphos maintains the first place with 88.5 per cent.

The second highest vaccination percentage is in Famagusta with 85.5 per cent, followed by Nicosia and Limassol with 77.4 and 76 per cent respectively.

Walk-in vaccination centres have carried out 33,635 vaccinations since the beginning of their operation on July 15.

Experts in Cyprus have said that ideally, more than 80 per cent of the adult population should be vaccinated by the end of the month.

Meanwhile, the country is preparing to administer booster mRNA shots to the elderly and vulnerable groups in September.