A. Skertsos: Those over 60 years of age who have completed 6 months should hurry for the third installment

Given that “there is no question of reinstating horizontal restrictive measures”, the Minister of State ‘Akis Skertsos addressed today, through the First Program of the NRA, to our fellow citizens who have not been vaccinated, to overcome their phobias and cross the “line “. This time, however, he also addressed the vaccinated people who have not taken the third dose, asking them to do so. In particular, those over 60 who have closed the semester from the second dose, “must hurry to do their third dose to protect their health more effectively,” he stressed.

“Overall, Greece has done better than the European average: this can be seen in the case indicators, in the death rates, in the economic indicators, that Greece currently has the third highest growth in the European economy, it has the first place in “We have reduced unemployment by four points,” he said in an introductory interview. ” “Public health, to save as many lives as possible from a deadly pandemic, and at the same time to prevent the collapse of the economy. .

Moreover, with the findings on the one hand that “85-90% of the intubated patients are citizens who have not been vaccinated”, on the other hand that “3/4 of the population has been vaccinated”, according to A. Scherzo “there is no question of reinstating horizontal restrictive measures, which are seriously hurting the economy, hurting and now having the opposite effect – we have seen it in the last lockdown.”

“Our actions must be aimed at convincing people who are still reluctant to get the vaccine. I fully understand a person who is reluctant to have an operation on his body, the vaccine is an intervention on our body,” he said in an interview. However, he countered, “about 4 billion people in the world have been vaccinated, the side effects are infinitesimal, on the contrary the side effects of the disease are severe, they lead vulnerable people to death, so the vaccine is the safest solution.”

He even referred to Western European countries, such as Spain, Portugal, France, which “especially in vulnerable ages over 60 have achieved very high vaccination rates, over 90%, close to 98%”. “When in our country in this age group” we are at 80% (…) this difference of 15 – 20 points is crucial to have a milder development of the pandemic in these difficult winter months “, he further argued.

He also insisted that “we do not apply divisive measures, in no case do we want a social automation to prevail between the vaccinated and the unvaccinated”, but on the other hand “we must protect both social cohesion and the functioning of the economy, the country can not stand “No more lockdowns, no more bonus policies that have no meaning to be implemented at this stage, as we have a serious economic and employment growth.”

As for the new appointments, “there was a combination of fear – because cases have increased – and at the same time new measures that restrict the access of unvaccinated citizens indoors. This combination of measures has led to a quadrupling of the daily appointments of both the first and third installments “. It’s ultimately “very important” for people who have so far hesitated to cross the line and get the vaccine.

Another point that the Minister of State emphasized was the issue of the booster dose: “Antibodies to those who have been vaccinated, after six months fall. This works especially hard for those over 60, and there people who “They have closed the semester, they also need to rush to take their third dose to protect their health more effectively. They are not vaccinated, they are vaccinated but with declining antibodies,” he said. After all, “there are about 450,000 citizens over the age of 60 who have done the third installment, they need to increase, to reach 1 – 1.2 million. The information campaign needs to be intensified, we will do it even more emphatically, we will we continue with special spots that will specifically target the vaccinated people, to do the third dose “.

At this point, he referred to the sermon, last week, of President Macron, who announced that citizens over the age of 60 will be able to enter indoors, provided that they are vaccinated with the third dose. “This is not applied in Greece yet, we could look into it,” he said.

Responding also to the opposition’s objections to the shortages in the field of health, he countered that “(the opposition) should have acted much more responsibly as a government for the public health system, there were big gaps. We had 557 Intensive Care Units and now we have 1,300 ICUs, Greece is at the European average at the moment “. And for the human resources, “we have proceeded with the recruitment of more than 12,000 permanent and temporary staff”, while beyond that “we try to assist with the possibilities that the private sector has to meet the local needs”.

Citizens should enter the platform for the heating allowance

In another topical issue, prices on energy bills, after he said that “Greece has been moving fast, since September, even before the rest of the European Union, and we gave a very brave package, which is over 600 million ., support for energy and heating bills “, A. Skertsos reminded that today the platform opens for the beneficiaries of heating allowance. Finally, he added, “the platform and the heating allowance cover almost the entire population, more than 80% of the citizens are beneficiaries”.

Recognizing that “this year due to international fluctuations there will indeed be some price increases in energy prices”, he called on citizens to take an interest and enter the platform of the Ministry of Finance (…) and take advantage of the significant support provided by the state to “There will be no relief for the energy bills.” In any case, we will make any possible and necessary intervention to support the households “, he assured in conclusion.

Pole of development and protection of the environment, northern Evia

Concluding on the issue of rehabilitation measures in the fire-affected areas, “we have moved at very fast speeds, unprecedented for the data of the Greek public administration. A large amount of nearly 200 million euros has been allocated for rehabilitation projects. The necessary studies have been completed, for both anti-corrosion and anti-flood projects, several of which have started. ”

At the same time, he continued, “there have been important policies of strengthening and support for professionals so that they can stay in their place and create there. We take care of today, in terms of rehabilitation actions, but also the next day,” he stressed. noting at the same time that “last week, the committee under Mr. Beno presented 14 studies concerning the reconstruction, now at a strategic level, of northern Evia, in order to become in the coming years a pole of growth, a pole of creation of new jobs , innovation, but also respect and protection of the environment, we are talking about studies related to the new forest, the new tourism product, infrastructure studies, studies for the primary sector. integrated spatial investment with very significant amounts that will be allocated by both the NSRF and the Recovery Fund to support its needs in society and economy “, he concluded.