Coronavirus: Cyprus has achieved 65% June vaccination goal

Cyprus has achieved the goal of vaccinating 65 per cent of the population by the end of June, while a total of 1,070 teenagers aged 16 to 17 have booked Pfizer appointments, the health ministry said on Wednesday.

The online vaccination portal opened at 7.30am for the first time for minors 16 to 17. The portal will remain open pending further announcement from the ministry.

The appointments by minors were arranged within two hours after the opening of the portal.

An additional 230 appointments were arranged on Wednesday from different age groups, the ministry said.

To date, 64.3 per cent of the eligible population has received the first dose of the vaccine.

“The initial goal set for the vaccination of 65 per cent of the population during the first half of 2021 is achieved if the calculations include today’s vaccinations that are ongoing,” the ministry said.

Fully vaccinated people account for 49.5 per cent of the eligible population for vaccinations.

To boost the national vaccination coverage, the health ministry announced this week the expansion of the programme to minors.

Previously, the health ministry said that almost 30 per cent of new coronavirus cases involved people aged 18 and under, especially teenagers aged 15 to 18.

Teenagers must have with them a signed form by their parents or guardians at the day of their appointment. The form should be signed by both parents or guardians unless there is a court decision suggesting this is unnecessary.

Other documents required include ID as well as a copy of the identification documents of their guardians.