The third installment is voluntary and will not affect anyone who does not do it in either safepass or greenpass, said Health Minister Michalis Hadjipandelas, saying that in the morning he visited a nursing home in Agioi Omologites where the elderly did the third dose against Covid 19. It is their personal choice, he added.
Answering questions after the press conference on the results of a survey on the attitude of society towards vaccination, Mr. Hadjipandelas said that the Ministry is working on whether and how to start vaccination in other age groups, except the elderly, and will announcements will be made in the coming days.
Fake certificates and doctors
In order for the PIS to impose penalties on doctors, the legal framework must change and this was seen a few weeks ago in the Legal Service, said Mr. Hadjipandelas, answering a question about the effects on doctors who give fake certificates. “We are waiting for the suggestions of the PIS to be approved by the Parliament”, he noted.
Regarding disciplinary sanctions, the Minister of Health said that other bodies related to the health sector, such as pharmacists, do not have such penalties. He spoke in support of the US Alliance, but said that maintaining some independence was not the answer.
The goal with the Legal Service, he continued, is to have strict penalties and to be imposed on all professionals who commit illegal acts.
Asked then he said that one complaint concerned a pharmacy that did not serve a patient because the mixture of 2 drugs he wanted was not profitable enough and he had to go to 4 pharmacies to be served. The incident, he said, he reported to the President of the Pharmacists Association.
Metropolitan of Morphou
The statements of the Metropolitan of Morphou are damaging, the Minister of Health stated, saying that “there is no grace to the Metropolitans, something we have not had in recent years”.
Under the guidance of the Attorney General, he added, the former Metropolitan of Kiti has been taken to court and for the Metropolitan of Morphou George Savvidis informed him that “the laws will be applied, as they apply to all citizens of the Republic of Cyprus.”
Research
20-30% of people with Covid disease will have symptoms for a long time, while in children this percentage is lower, said the head of the advisory scientific committee, Konstantinos Tsioutis, answering a relevant question. There is no difference in risk depending on gender but a difference in symptoms found in women and men, he said. He cited as an example that women often have symptoms of hair loss (about 2 months after serious illness), menstrual irregularities. In men, he added, the return is slower.
All this will be recorded with 18 indicators before and after the intellect, covering the health, social and psychological part, noted the member of the committee Konstantinos Fellas. The Minister of Health stated that based on the new research, they will study how they can provide additional treatment to post-Covid patients.
In a period of pandemic, it is normal for citizens to lose their personal control and end up with simplistic theories to manage their daily lives, said Mr. Fellas answering another question. “Science is constantly reviewing the data and involving a kind of pessimism, which is why people in their quest to 'get caught up in something more stable' are looking for a lifeline in news headlines and are prone to misinformation,” he added.
A small portion of citizens do not separate the health from the political part and include it in the general criticism of the government, explained Mr. Fellas, answering another question about the findings of the research.
As to whether the investigation was delayed since the division in society has existed for a long time, Konstantinos Fellas said that he sees the glass half full, welcomed the investigation, saying that it was done at the right time to strengthen the government's communication policy.
He also considers important the cooperation with the patients, the OSAK, and the scientific team.
When asked about medicine against the pandemic, Professor Christos Petrou said that there is no oral treatment for coronavirus yet, the research is limited in phase two. Discussion of treatment for monoclonal antibodies is not a panacea, it is a limited treatment and concerns inpatient treatment for those with moderate to severe symptoms. “It does not work for everyone.”
We have the vaccines, he added, and any medications that will come after the supplement.
Asked about OKYPY and the planning for the reopening of all departments, the Minister of Health said that he has contacted the leadership of OKYPY in recent days and informed him that they have begun planning for the restoration of hospitals in normal conditions. They agreed, he said, to send the plan in writing next week.
OSAK and GESS
Asked by Dimitris Lamprianidis of OSAK about the confrontation between the Health Insurance Organization and the Audit Office and what is the position of OSAK, the Spokesperson of the patients' organization replied that the decision to start GESS was necessary. It was a relaxation that had to be given to start the biggest reform that has ever taken place in our country, he added. “But now things have to go according to the relevant legislation,” he concluded.
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