SECOND DISTRIBUTION OF INFLUENZA VACCINES

 Filenews 3 November 2020 -  by Marilena Panagi

In Cyprus there is the second batch of vaccines and it is only a matter of hours before they can begin to be distributed to the personal doctors of the General Health System. However, both the Ministry of Health and the doctors themselves recommend patience to citizens, reiterating that the priority in vaccination is given to people at greater risk of developing serious complications if they are infected with influenza A.

The second batch includes around 17,000 vaccines and, as doctors stress, "citizens must continue to understand, since the number of vaccines that reach each personal doctor is very limited and not all needs can be met".

"Although doctors do not agree with the prioritisation of vaccinations, we must explain to the citizens that this separation, priority vaccination, is up to us and we certainly need to serve first people who belong to vulnerable groups and face a greater risk," personal physician Charalambos Nikolaou said speaking to "F", adding that "dozens of patients communicate with us every day." , requesting that they be vaccinated as soon as possible'. As doctors, he said, "we understand the anguish of our patients but, we are de facto forced to prioritise vulnerable groups. For this reason, I recommend patience and adherence to self-protection measures by all."

A statement was issued yesterday by the Scientific Society of General Medicine cyprus (EIC), stating that doctors, "with an increased sense of responsibility for the prevention of health of beneficiaries, make every effort to vaccinate those who belong to vulnerable groups in a timely way on the basis of the vaccines available to each doctor". According to the instructions of the Ministry of Health, the scientific society adds, "priority vaccination is considered necessary for vulnerable groups on the basis of age and co-morbidity" and continues: "vulnerable groups of the population, who are entitled to the vaccine, are de facto subject to a hierarchy. In practice, other parameters are taking into account and not only the age or time of communication with their personal physician'. Thus, "a patient with co-morbidity, for example, is immunocompromised or suffers from diabetes mellitus, takes precedence over an elderly person without particular health problems".

It is recalled that in the coming weeks a greater quantity of vaccines is expected to arrive in Cyprus, around 65,000 vaccines, which are estimated to be available to doctors before the end of November.