After getting his first Pfizer/BioNTech vaccination injection against COVID-19 in the country of Cyprus, LekulutuNsima believes himself to be a “fortunate guy.” His home country, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, has just a handful of vaccine dosages for one of the most populated countries in Africa. They are typically kept for the elites of the country, the rich, and politically connected, according to the 33-year-old asylum seeker. In the sweltering July heat of Cyprus, Nsima was one of the hundreds of foreign nationals who waited in line on Friday at the capital’s only walk-in vaccination facility, which is dedicated to vaccinating individuals who are not insured by the country’s General Healthcare System (GHS).
Foreigners Without Health Insurance Are No Longer Required To Get The COVID-19 Vaccine In Cyprus
The large number of people who showed up at the facility has taken the Cypriot authorities by surprise. To allow people without GHS coverage to come in and get a shot without having to go through the trouble of making an appointment on the internet that might be weeks away, the concept was born.
On the center’s opening day, which was a week ago, 2,555 individuals who the GHS did not cover got a vaccination injection? MichalisHadjipantela, Cypriot Health Minister, told reporters after visiting the facility that the overwhelmingly favorable reaction from the public demonstrates that this is an excellent development for the country. He said that they could not have anticipated such a strong reaction.
An important motivator for many to get vaccinated is the fact that the Cypriot government has mandated the mandatory display of the ‘SafePass’ certificate for entry into places where large groups of people congregate. These places include restaurants, bars, shopping malls, and supermarkets, among other establishments. Having had at least one vaccination, having been tested for the virus within the preceding 72 hours, or have recently recovered from the illness, the certificate demonstrates compliance. However, there are certain disadvantages.
There is just one such facility that caters to people who do not have access to GHS, and it is only available once each week. Having said that, Hadjipantelaalso noted that there are just not enough health care professionals to establish another facility of this kind.
More than 1,000 individuals will get their first vaccination injection on Friday, according to Christina Yiannaki, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health. Yiannaki said that more than 1,000 foreign people, since the vast majority of them are foreign nationals, would get vaccinated today is very important because they are also a part of our community.
According to official statistics, almost 70% of the country’s adult population has been completely vaccinated, with 76.3 percent getting at least their first vaccination. Health authorities believe that the delta form of COVID-19, which has been sweeping across the eastern Mediterranean island country, is to blame for a recent spike in COVID-19 cases.
As Nsima explained in an interview with The New York Times, he fled his homeland to avoid persecution by the country’s new government, which had clashed with the opposition political party to which he belonged. He had worked for the prime minister’s office for a decade and had once dreamed of becoming a priest. He claims that his blood is “extremely powerful,” but he is aware that if he gets the coronavirus, he would be shielded from the worst of the virus if he receives his second injection in a month’s time following the first. According to him, the shortage of vaccinations is a continent-wide issue in Africa. More Pfizer and Moderna vaccines should be sent to Africa by the international community.