The Turkish Cypriot community received the first batch of doses of the Pfizer- BioNTech vaccine for COVID-19 on Monday morning, allowing for the inoculation of 1,080 people.
Leonidas Phylactou and Cenk Soydan, the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot Heads of the bicommunal Technical Committee on Health, were both present at the Agios Dometios crossing point where Phylactou delivered the vaccines to Soydan, in the presence of media from both sides.
“We delivered today the first doses for 1,080 people in the Turkish Cypriot community who will be vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine” Leonidas Phylactou told CNA adding that the second doses will be delivered in the same way when the time comes.
Asked about the total final number of doses to be given to the Turkish Cypriot community, Phylactou said that the Republic of Cyprus and the Ministry of Health have included in the vaccination plan the needs of the Turkish Cypriots, as they were put forward through the Technical Committee for Health.
The Commission has done a lot to make the first delivery of vaccines possible today, he added.
The Turkish Cypriot head of the Technical Committee for Health, Cenk Soydan in his statements to Turkish Cypriot journalists said that they have requested 400,000 doses from EU but have not yet received a clear answer on how many doses will be given to them. From the batches that will be received by the Greek Cypriots, a part will be given to the Turkish Cypriots, but the numbers have not been clarified yet, he added.
Asked who will be vaccinated with the first doses of Pfizer, Soydan said that according to their vaccination plan, they have started vaccinating health professionals and people over the age of 65. “These vaccines will be administered within 5 days based on this schedule”, he added.
