Greece’s prime minister says the government will provide the coronavirus vaccine, when it becomes available, to all Greeks free of charge.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis made the comments while chairing a ministerial meeting about the government’s vaccination strategy for COVID-19. Greece has seen a resurgence of the virus’s spread that is putting pressure on the country’s health system.
“I insist on the free access of all Greeks to the vaccine, because this government has treated the vaccine as a public good from the start,” Mitsotakis said. “That is why it will be provided free of charge to all, with no exceptions.”
Mitsotakis said Greece expected to receive more than 25 million doses of the vaccine.
“We have an obligation to do so. At the same time, [a free vaccine] would underscore our commitment to the protection of public health,” he said.
On Thursday, Greece announced a record number of new daily coronavirus deaths and infections, with more than 3,300 new confirmed infections and 50 deaths in this country of 11 million people. Greece currently has more than 66,600 confirmed cases and 959 deaths.