Photo: George Vitsaras / SOOC
Minister of State Akis Skertsos appeared confident that Greece will have created a "wall of immunity" within the autumn, meaning seven million people will be either vaccinated or have naturally acquired immunity to COVID-19.
He rejected arguments that the measures announced by the government seek to "punish" the unvaccinated, saying that their aim was to protect public health.
The Minister underlined that the prospect of horizontal measures against the pandemic was out of the question and urged those hesitating to be vaccinated to make haste and do so.
"If we had managed to vaccinate the entire population of the country, we would now have just 50 cases intubated in hospitals throughout the country instead of 332," Skertsos said.
"We would, in other words, have converted the pandemic into a severe flu that primarily poses a threat to those suffering from other underlying diseases and that does not have an unbearably high cost in human lives nor overburdens the health system," he added.
READ MORE: Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew: Everyone should be vaccinated, it’s absurd to have fear.