Greece's major tourist islands to be fully vaccinated by end of June

Greece's major tourist islands will have completed their vaccinations by the end of June, Health Minister Vassilis Kikilias said at Wednesday's regular live briefing on the pandemic, while 32 of the country's smaller islands have already been fully vaccinated.

The minister provided details concerning the vaccination program, which prioritises permanent residents of islands, and said that another 36 islands with up to 10,000 inhabitants will have been fully vaccinated by the end of May.

Residents of 19 of the country's major islands will be vaccinated under this program by the end of June.

These islands include Aegina near Athens, all major Ionian Islands, Lesvos, Mykonos, Paros, Rhodes and Santorini, among others.

They will all receive the single-dose vaccination of Johnson & Johnson.

Assisting in the state's vaccination of islanders will be voluntary organizations and Mobile Medical Units, an initiative of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation and its 'Regeneration & Progress' non-profit-making organisation .

Kikilias said this past week Greece became fourth among all EU countries in the rate of inoculation per 100 residents (according to Our World in Data) and eighth among the same 27 countries for the rate of full vaccination of the population.

Currently Greece has conducted nearly 4 million vaccinations, he said, adding that 24.59% of the population have received at least one dose (2.6 million people), and over 13% have completed their vaccinations (over 1.3 million).

Additionally, it is impressive that nearly 97% of people with appointments keep them, Kikilias noted.

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