Both vaccine jabs required for protection against Delta variant, vaccination chief says

Both vaccine does are vital for adequate protection from the Delta variant strain of the coronavirus, the chair of the Greek National Vaccination Committee has said.

Speaking on Monday during a regular Covid-19 pandemic briefing, Maria Theodoridou urged anyone who has not sought a vaccination to get inoculated. 

The Delta strain will soon be the dominant variant, will be 90 percent more transmissible, and will affect mostly unvaccinated people, including children, she said.

Inoculating one’s self with both doses of either the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccine provides 96 percent and 92 percent protection, respectively, from the Delta variant,  she stressed. 

People who take only one of two doses of a vaccine have only 30 percent protection from the Delta variant, making it essential to avail of the second dose, she said.

Citing a recent US medical study, Theodoridou underlined that 96 percent of Covid-19 related deaths concern unvaccinated people.

A total of 8.1 million vaccinations have been administered to date, Health Secretary General Marios Themistocleous told the briefing.

A 45 percent of people in Greece have received one dose of a vaccine, while 35 percent have completed their inoculation with both doses, he added.

[AMNA]