Greek Island Covid-19 Vaccination Rollout Picks Up Pace

Photo source: Municipality of Kythnos

Greece’s “Blue Freedom” island vaccination plan is moving forward successfully with a number of islands building immunity against Covid-19.

The news was announced by the health ministry’s General Secretary of Primary Health Care, Marios Themistokleous, who praised the island of Kythnos, where 93 percent of its residents have been vaccinated with the first dose and 79 percent with both.

He also mentioned Syros where the number of fully vaccinated islanders increased from 12 percent to 30 percent.

On the down side, Themistokleous referred to low participation for vaccination on the islands of Samos, Naxos, Kefalonia, Zakynthos, as well as on Kalymnos, where emergency lockdown measures were ordered last month.

In the meantime, the president of the Athens and Piraeus Hospital Doctors’ Association (EINAP), Matina Pagoni, urged seniors and particularly 60-year-olds to get vaccinated, warning that a fourth wave of Covid-19 was imminent.

Greece’s vaccination plan for the islands is named “Γαλάζια Ελευθερία” (Blue Freedom). Photo source: @govgr

By the end of June “we will have relative immunity and at the end of August we will have 75-80 percent immunity if we have all the quantities of vaccines,” she said, adding that once full vaccination is achieved “we will be able to take off the mask from September 20 onwards.”

Pagoni went on to recommend vaccinating children in September.

In the last 24-hour period, Greece recorded 1,007 new Covid-19 cases, 41 deaths, and dropping intubations.