Private clinics on board in vaccine drive
An amendment tabled in Parliament Thursday stipulates that private health centers – polyclinics, diagnostic labs etc – will also be able to administer vaccinations and help accelerate the national inoculation program. These private centers will receive 3 euros from the state for each vaccination administered to cover consumables and staff costs. At least 130 private centers in the Attica region have already expressed an interest in participating.
The same amendment also provides for the seven-day operation of state-run vaccination centers in two shifts from 7 a.m. until midnight. Compensation of 20 euros is introduced for each employee for each day of employment on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. The aim of the interventions is to administer more than 2.5 million vaccinations in May and 4 million in June.
Government spokeswoman Aristotelia Peloni announced Thursday that vaccinations will proceed normally during the four-day Easter holiday on Friday, Saturday and Monday. Vaccinations will be paused on May 2 as it is Easter Sunday.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis reiterated his call for people to get vaccinated in an interview Thursday night on Alpha TV.
Commenting on the high percentage of seniors who have not been vaccinated, he said, “A large percentage of the elderly have been vaccinated, but there is a percentage, estimated at around 30%, who have not yet come to be vaccinated, although the platform is open.”
He added: “Those who refuse or are afraid of vaccines, let them go for a walk to an intensive care unit to experience the unfolding drama and understand that vaccines can prevent this.
“The only way to end the pandemic is to get vaccinated.”
Marios Themistokleous, secretary-general in charge of vaccinations, said inoculation of islands with fewer than 1,000 residents will be completed in the next few days.
“We will continue to the other islands, so that within the next month we will have covered the majority of our islands’ inhabitants,” he said.
