Today marks a milestone in the EU and global efforts to end the pandemic, Cyprus Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou said on Saturday as the first batches of the Pfizer-BioNTech shots arrived on the island.

EU Commissioner Stella Kyriakides, a Cyprus national herself, spoke of the virtues of solidarity, unity and cooperation.
 
Health Minister said that today is a day of optimism and our morale  has been revived as we head towards the end of a very long road.

He pointed out that the beginning of the inoculation program in all EU member states is the beginning of the end but does not mark the end of our efforts. The Minister said that Cyprus will be receiving more batches in the next months as more vaccines get an approval from the competent authorities.

Ioannou assured that Cyprus will be getting enough batches for the whole of the population, if they all wish to get the shots and added that right now the vaccines are the only medium we have to fight the pandemic, urging the people to get inoculated.

He thanked EU Commissioner Kyriakides for her efforts and hard work adding that at these difficult times the basic EU virtues of solidarity and cooperation are displayed in action.

Commissioner Kyriakides expressed her satisfaction because six months after the strategy for the vaccines was presented, we are now receiving the first shots in all EU member states. This is EU’s time, she said.
 
She added that the rollout of the vaccines will continue in the next weeks, pointing out that we need to vaccinate a large number of the population to be safe. She said that there is hope and light on the horizon.

Kyriacos Mikellis, head of Pfizer for Cyprus-Malta said that today is a symbolic day and a breakthrough in the efforts to contain the pandemic.

He said that with the vaccines we pave the way for a gradual return to normality.

The first doctor to get the shot tomorrow is Dr Christos Kypri at the Famagusta Reference Hospital. He said that the vaccines are a medicinal miracle and they were approved after many trials for their safety and efficacy. He said that the vaccines bring hope and expressed his honor to be among the first doctors to be vaccinated. Dr Kypri said that the population needs to get inoculated so we can be safe.

He said that the vaccination will take place at around 11.00 local time from the Emergency and Accident Department and a total of 15-20 doctors and nurses will get the shots.