Vaccination

Greeks are putting their trust in pharmacists for flu vaccinations, and with the upcoming COVID vaccinations and distribution of colorectal cancer tests, pharmacists and their role in primary healthcare are being highlighted.

The latest health bulletin from the National Public Health Organization (NPHO) covers a variety of health topics, featuring questions about vaccinations directed to the Chair of the National Vaccination Committee, Professor Emerita of Pediatrics at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Maria Theodoridou, along with her responses.

Disappointing data regarding the vaccination of the elderly, vulnerable individuals, and healthcare workers against COVID-19 shows that over 90% of 80-year-olds in Greece are unprotected against the pandemic virus, while only 4% of healthcare workers have received the vaccine.

Health authorities stress the importance of vaccinations for high-risk groups as the flu season typically begins in December.

The Health Ministry has reported only sporadic cases so far, but citizens are urged to get vaccinated by mid-November to allow time for immunity to develop.

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced today on X (formerly Twitter) that the second round of the polio vaccination campaign has started in central Gaza.

Vaccinations for Covid-19 will, for the first time, be available at neighborhood pharmacies as of this fall, in an effort to simplify the process so that an ever larger part of the population can get the shot. 

Covid vaccinations will also continue to be administered at public health structures by appointment through the online platform emvolio.gov.gr. 

People can now access information about their pets contained in the National Register of Companion Animals (pet.gov.gr) on the Gov.gr Wallet application.

Next-generation Covid-19 vaccines targeting the virus’s entry points, such as the nose and mouth, may achieve what traditional vaccines cannot: limit the spread of respiratory infections by preventing their transmission.

All Americans ages 6 months and older should receive one of the new COVID-19 vaccines when they become available this fall, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday.

The recommendation comes as the nation faces a summer wave of COVID, with the number of infections rising in at least 39 states and territories.

The Health Ministry has requested doctors to report the information of vaccine refusers with wet signature documentation instead of electronic means for closer monitoring purposes.

Ministry sources indicated that the requirement to obtain wet-signed forms from patients refusing vaccination was introduced to better collect the number and information of the refusers.