Greece to receive first batch of Covid vaccine on Dec 26

Greece will receive the first batch of coronavirus vaccines on December 26, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Friday, adding that the first vaccinations will take place at five Covid-designated hospitals in Athens and Thessaloniki.

At first, Mitsotakis said, vaccines will be provided to healthcare workers and those in long-term care settings. The jab will then be given to the over-65 population, an estimated 2,4 million, he said.

Mitsotakis was speaking after a meeting held to discuss Greece’s immunization strategy at the National Organization for Public Health (EODY) headquarters.

He said that according to the latest EMA update, approval of the Pfizer vaccine is expected on December 22.

In its daily bulletin Thursday, EODY announced 78 deaths and 1,155 new inflections in the 24-hour period. The number of intubated patients stood at 542.

Meanwhile, pictures emerged Friday of the first vaccine storage freezers, made by the Japanese manufacturer PHCbi, in Thessaloniki.