Supply of Covid-19 vaccines showing ‘worrying delays,’ says health minister

Greek Health Minister Vassilis Kikilias expressed concern on Wednesday over the delays in the rollout of Covid-19 vaccines from pharmaceutical companies, as a dispute between the European Union and drugmaker AstraZeneca over problems in the delivery of its new jab deepened.

Kikilias said that while the discovery of the vaccines to tackle the novel coronavirus has moved at an unprecedented speed, their mass production and distribution are showing “worrying delays,” adding that drug makers must keep their promises.

Speaking during a daily briefing on the pandemic, the minister also said Greece currently has 5,324 active cases, while hospitalisations are again on the rise, with 112 recorded on Wednesday alone.

At the same time, bed occupancy in intensive care units currently stands at 48 percent nationwide, at 63 percent in Attica and at 50 percent in Thessaloniki.