Greeks to receive their fourth vaccine booster shot in fight against coronavirus

Greeks are preparing to receive their fourth vaccine dose in fight against coronavirus with the Primary Health Care Secretary General Marios Themistocleous announcing on Thursday that appointments will become available online for immunosuppressed people on Thursday, January 20.

During the regular live Monday briefing Themistocleous said that residents in 26 of the country's smallest islands (approximately 1,000 inhabitants) can book inoculation appointments for their children in specific dates on a special online platform, and that children's vaccination is already underway in islands with fewer than 1000 inhabitants.

Over 7,625,000 citizens have received at least one shot - this corresponds to 82.6% of the adult population (72.6% of the general one), Themistocleous said.

Speaking at the same briefing, National Vaccination Committee chair Maria Theodoridou said that vaccination protects both a mother and her baby during pregnancy, citing the latest findings by international studies.

Cellular immunity in children is twice that of adults, she noted, as antibodies in children remain effective for more than six months, adding that this may justify the existence of a mild infection in the upper and not in the lower respiratory system of children.