Kyriakos Mitsotakis proposes the realization of the 3rd installment of the vaccine as a condition of validity for over 60 years of the European digital vaccination certificate (EU DCC) for trips within the EU in a letter to the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.
“I believe that we should not waste time protecting the most vulnerable from our fellow citizens, especially since the third dose has been shown to be effective (over 90%) in preventing serious COVID-19 effects including death, but it also protects against “and keeps our citizens healthy and out of hospitals,” the prime minister said in the letter.
Mr. Mitsotakis had announced his decision for a relevant letter a few days ago, while today, Wednesday, the ECDC proposes a commemorative dose for all adults, especially for those over 40 years old.
The letter in more detail
“Dear Ursula
Many European countries are currently experiencing a resurgence of SARS-CoV-2 infections despite successful vaccination campaigns to date. This may be due to the greater infectivity of the Delta variant (B.1.617 2) of SARS-CoV-2 and the reduced immunity of vaccines administered months earlier.
While acknowledging that there is currently a difference between Member States in third-dose vaccination programs, I believe that time should not be wasted on protecting our most vulnerable citizens, especially as the third dose has proved effective (over 90%) in prevention of serious effects related to COVID-19, including death, but also in protection against symptomatic infection and in maintaining the health of our citizens outside hospitals.
In view of the current resurgence, many countries have introduced third-dose vaccination programs either for all adults, such as my own country, or only for older adults as high-risk individuals. Regardless of this difference, however, scientific evidence suggests and we all agree that the third dose is unreservedly recommended for older people.
To this end, I am writing to suggest that the third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine be considered a prerequisite for safe travel within the European Union for European citizens over the age of 60. This should be reflected in the European Digital Certificate which has proved to be a collective success that has allowed a further safe return to travel from country to country.
Such a policy initiative will help our health systems deal more effectively with a severe winter wave of hospitalization but also maintain control of the virus and pandemic without resorting to new horizontal constraints that would jeopardize the recovery of our economies and freedom. of the motion.
In conclusion, I believe that the imposition of the third installment as part of the vaccination certificate for citizens over the age of 60 would be an important step in our fight against the pandemic and I ask you to consider and discuss this proposal with other Member States. ”
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