A setback will bring about catastrophic consequences for the country and its economy, the Health Ministry warned Saturday, urging once again the youth to get their COVID vaccines.
A press release said that 63.6% of the population were vaccinated so far with the 1st dose and 47.8% concluded its vaccination scheme with either the one-dose vaccine of Johnson&Johnson and/or AstraZeneca, Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech which require 2 doses.
Figures show that only 27.3% of ages 18-19 got at least 1 dose of their jab while in ages between 20-29 this percentage reaches 35.1%.
As regards the ages 30-39 the vaccination reached 52.3%, in ages 40-49, 50-59 and 60-69 the percentages stand at 72.5%, 71.6% and 81.6%, respectively. In ages 70-79 the vaccinate rate stands at 91.3% and in ages 80+ it has reached 91.8%.
The Ministry points out that the vaccination in ages over 40 has led to a big drop in cases but the attention turns now to ages 18-39.
In the last few weeks more than 75% of the positive cases are detected among people under 40, the Ministry underlines, adding that 43% of these cases are citizens 18-39 years of age who did not get their vaccines.
The Ministry also points out that younger citizens need to be hospitalized either in the Advanced Care Unit or the Intensive Care Unit and the median age of those getting hospital treatment has dropped to 54 years.
In the press release the Ministry also points out that the Indian variant has proven to be extremely transmissible and this dictates for people to get inoculated. According to studies in Scotland and England, cited by the Ministry, young people who were not vaccinated were more vulnerable to the Indian mutant and had higher risk of serious infection and illness. Furthermore the ECDC says that AstraZeneca and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines are efficient towards the mutant.
As regards the district figures in vaccinations, 72.9% of Paphos residents got at least 1 dose of the vaccine, followed by Nicosia with 64.5%, Famagusta with 64.1%, Limassol with 61.2% and Larnaka with 59.4%.
The Ministry warns that the business operations, the tourist industry and the social activities depend on the epidemiological outlook and says that in case of a setback, the consequences will be catastrophic.
(CNA)
