Vaccination bookings shoot up

The past seven days has seen a 185% increase in first vaccination appointments and a 200% surge in booster shot appointments, a Health Ministry official said on Monday.

At a regular briefing, Marios Themistocleous, secretary-general for primary health care, said the number of appointments had risen from 60,000 two weeks ago to 175,000.

In total, 61.2% of the general population has been fully vaccinated, which is below the European Union average, and 70.2% of the adult population.

Overall, a total of 460,000 citizens have been administered a booster shot, he said.

“It’s a very important increase,” he said. “What has changed is the introduction of the new measures and the high number of infections … But this must continue, and the pace of appointments must increase,” Themistocleous said. [AP/AMNA]