No more AstraZeneca shots for under-60s

The National Vaccination Committee has recommended that the AstraZeneca vaccine should not be administered to people under the age of 60 and that they should be given the opportunity to choose one of the other three vaccines.

As for people who have already received the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine and already have an appointment for their second dose, the committee’s suggestion does not apply to them.

According to the president of the National Vaccination Committee, Maria Theodoridou, the recommendation was made due to the epidemiological picture of the country, which is shows moderate to low dispersion rates.

Until now, the AstraZeneca vaccine has been given to people over 30 years of age in Greece.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) considers the AstraZeneca vaccine safe for all age groups, but several EU member-states have stopped giving it to people under a certain age, which usually ranges from 50 to 65 years, limiting its use among the elderly population.

Meanwhile on Monday, Digital Governance Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis said Greece had administered at least 6.8 million doses of Covid vaccines so far.

Speaking on Skai Radio, Pierrakakis said that the country will open the vaccination platform for people aged between 18 and 24.

He said he expected that half of the Greek population will be inoculated by the end of the summer.