The Health Ministry plans to invite ICU specialists from other countries to Cyprus to assist doctors at the Nicosia General Hospital, the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary Christina Yiannaki said on Friday. Yiannaki said also that the Ministry was ready to roll out third doses as soon as the European Medicine Agency gave a green light.
Yiannaki, who was visiting the walk-in covid vaccination centre that operates at the State Fair in Nicosia, said that until 11.00 six hundred people had been vaccinated, including Turkish Cypriots and migrants.
She said that until Thursday 30,000 vaccinations had been carried out at walk – in centres and another 3,000 vaccinations would be administered on Friday. “This scheme will continue and as of September 1st we will do it also on Saturdays and afternoons to move forward with vaccinations”, Yiannaki told the press.
Around 77.2% of the population has been given at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while the Ministry’s goal is to reach 81% and 71.8% of the population is fully vaccinated.
Replying to a question, Yiannaki confirmed reports in the press that the Ministry is planning to invite ICU specialists from abroad. “This effort is important in order to help the ICU specialists at the Nicosia General Hospital,” she explained.
Meanwhile, 462 patients have been referred to the private sector and 47 to ICUs in the private sector, where 27 are still receiving a treatment.
“The situation is manageable. We help public hospitals a lot and every day we make efforts to lift some of this burden”, said Yiannaki, noting that although the number of patients in wards has decreased, the number of those intubated is unchanged.
Replying to a question she said that the Ministry was ready to roll out third doses as soon as the it was authorised by the European Medicine Agency. According to reliable sources, if the EMA gives a green light, the administration of the third dose would begin with the elderly who are living in nursing homes.
