Coronavirus: First jabs set to arrive on December 26

The first anti-coronavirus jabs are expected to reach Greece on December 26 and the first vaccinations to take place the following day.

Symbolically, a nurse and an elderly person have been chosen to be the first ones to be vaccinated.

The aim is to vaccinate 60-70 percent of the population by the spring, depending on vaccine availability and the population’s willingness to be vaccinated.

Health system personnel will be vaccinated as a priority, followed by the elderly and other vulnerable categories, including those suffering from serious underlying diseases. The rest will gradually follow.

Ahead of the vaccination, experts advise that we curb our social instincts this holiday season and celebrate Christmas, New Year’s and whatever other festive occasion with our families and, exceptionally, a very few close relatives or friends. And, stay away from church, they say.

“Circumstances are exceptional. The viral load remains high throughout the country and pressure on intensive care units remains. We should all be aware of the danger,” says Dimitris Paraskevis, associate professor of epidemiology and preventive medicine at the University of Athens and member of the expert committee advising the government on the pandemic.

No crowds, no singing or dancing, unless we sing with masks and, if possible, celebrate all festive occasions with the same people, experts say. A resurgence of the coronavirus pandemic is always a risk, they warn.

Experts agree that a mutation of the virus is not seen as a major danger. In fact, the coronavirus mutates at a slower pace than the typical flu virus, they say.