Co-Chairman of the Bi-Communal Health Committee Dr Cenk Soydan has said that the committee is waiting for Covid-19 vaccines from the EU via South Cyprus and from Turkey.
“We requested vaccines for 250 thousand people (500 thousand doses) from the south, from the European Union“, he said.
Greek Cypriot Committee Chairman Leonidas Filaktou said : “We received the request from the Turkish Cypriots. From now on, we will wait for the vaccines to arrive in Cyprus and the decision will be made at the political level“.
Saying that he was given to understand that some vaccines from Europe will be supplied to North Cyprus but health workers in the south would be the first to receive the vaccine, Dr. Soydan noted that “a small amount of vaccine will arrive at the end of December at the first stage.
“They asked me for a number, I gave a number. I asked what amount of three types of vaccine will be available and when I could not get a clear answer.
“When will the vaccine from Turkey arrive, I do not have any clear idea. The whole world is trying to acquire the vaccine from the market right now. We do not have control in South Cyprus nor does Turkey. It is not a situation we have control over, we are waiting,” he said.
Earlier on it was reported that North Cyprus Minister of Health Ali Pilli said that plans for the vaccination programme against Covid-19 have been completed and they are now expecting delivery of the first batch from the vaccines the EU has reserved for Cyprus.
Pilli, said that during the first phase, 52,000 people will be vaccinated. The Greek Cypriots will receive the first supplies of the vaccines at the end of December-early January.
Between them, the Turkish and Greek Cypriot communities will need 1.2 million vaccines, he said.
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