Greece is getting ready for one of the largest mass immunizations as it awaits the first batch of Covid-19 vaccines, authorities said this week.
Speaking on MEGA channel, Digital Governance Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis announced that the procedure for vaccination will start from booking an appointment online through an e-platform very similar to airline ticketing sites, he said.
“The procedure will be simple thanks to the use of digital media,” he said.
Digital Governance Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis.
More specifically, according to Pierrakakis:
- The vaccine is free.
- Users will enter their health number (AMKA) and current address online at emvolio.gov.gr– which is set to go on the air in the coming days. They will see open vaccination dates and locations available, and once selected will receive an online prescription. Authorities have left open the possibility of pharmacies also serving as booking spots.
- Users will book two appointments as the vaccine will be administered in two doses – the appointments may be subject to change should the user request.
- Special support services – not call centers – will be set up around the country for people who have no digital skills. Users will receive guidance through these channels. Pharmacies are set to operate as Information and Counseling Centers.
- Vaccination will be carried out at 1,018 centers and at set hospitals around the country.
Epidemiologists stress that despite being vaccinated, people will still be required to wear masks as vaccination may reduce the risk of coming down with Covid-19, but it does not guarantee that they will not become infected at all.
According to Deputy Health Minister Vassilis Kontozamanis, people will not be able to select which vaccine they receive. Greece will be receiving vaccines from at least two companies – BioNTech and Pfizer – under a European Commission deal.
Kontozamanis reassured sceptics that once a product has received authorization, it meets all the required by law conditions. He added that deliveries by drug makers will be made simultaneously.
Meanwhile, an awareness and information campaign is ready to launch in the coming days in efforts to raise the number of people proceeding with vaccination. Indicatively, according to the latest study carried out by the Athens University of Economics and Business, less than half (42 percent) of Greece’s residents have said they plan to be vaccinated.
29 comments
I don’t think it’s right that I can’t choose the vaccination because I have health problems
Also I can’t choose the health center of my choice
Did anybody find a solution how to get vaccinated as a foreigner staying in Greece without AMKA? I’m here with my 81 year old mom and would like to find a way to get her a vaccine. We have an European health Insurance card. I called and mailed all the above mentioned authorities (KEP, EYKA, local doctors, Greek ministry of Health and the Dutch Embassy) but nobody seems to have an answer on this…
Ive applied via the form for a vax I have no amka but I have brown card and tax number/bank/address They just dont reply. Im 65 Am I missing something? Im in Achlada Crete I need to get a vaccination and happy to pay if necessary as need to travel back to UK on persona;l business and get back without any problems. Any ideas?
I’m living in spili Crete I don’t have an AMKA number. This seems to be a huge problem for many people and now we are being refused the vaccination. This is absolutely disgraceful and unacceptable. Please rectify this problem immediately otherwise the pandemic will never be resolved or controlled as much as Greece would expect. We have rights we are humans too!!!!
You do not need to have either AFM or AMKA in order to make the application. The form states ‘if exists’ under each box. Foreign residents can therefore make the application once their age category is open.
all well and good but they dont reply!
Am an asylum seeker with asylum card,i have amka and afemi, please am i qualified for the vaccination?
My husband and I live in Corfu, where we own our only home. We have permanent residency visas and a Greek tax IDs, but no AMKA number. We are both at high risk of COVID-19 due to our age and co-morbidities. We would be willing to pay for the vaccine, if that were allowed.
We are very concerned we will not be able to get vaccinated, which means we are trapped in Greece with no protection from the pandemic.
Greece must find a way to protect ALL members of its population living in Greece – both citizens and permanent residents.
I am a professor of public health at the University of California at Berkeley and by failing to vaccinate permanent residents, you are puttin the health of the entire population of Greece at risk. Any one of us could be asymptomatic sreaders, and we could be sreading disease. If we get sick, we will be admitted to your hospitals and ICUs.
There are many of us, who find ourselves in this predicament. We lived in France for 10 years, where they let us buy into their public health insurance system. This is not an option in Greece, nor is purchasing the vaccine. We find oursevlves abandoned by our chosen coountr. This must be corrected immediately
I will pay for the oxford vaccine when it is my turn – in Greece – will I then be able to choose which vaccine. I have more trust in the Oxford Astrazenika vaccine.
When can we register ?
Am living in Rethymno area in Crete..shall we have a center ?
What about foreigners who are in Greece? No AMCA but European health Insurance card…
How can we subscribe to we be enroled for the vaccination?
Which month people from 65 years will be vaccinated?
May we choose to wait for the oxford vaccine?
According to the recent announcements, people will not be able to select which vaccine they receive. https://news.gtp.gr/2020/12/28/greece-how-book-appointment-covid-19-vaccination/
I live in antiparos island
When will it be announced re this island
THEY SHOULD AT LEAST HAVE THE WEB SITE AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH AS WELL AS GREEK.
use google translate on your pc. it translated the forms for me no problem cheers
What happens about foreign residents who do not have a Greek Health Number. Can we still book online and maybe pay for the vaccine?
As stated in the headline, Greece has only announced the basics of the vaccination procedure. Authorities are expected to announce the relevant details and finalized procedure in the coming days.
There are many foreign citizens living in Greece, who should be vaccinated if this programme is to be effective in protecting all.
Absolutely correct. My Greek wife is very concerned that she can schedule a vaccination but as of now there is no way for me, a legal resident but with no AMKA number, to do so, even at a private clinic where I would be happy to pay for it.
As mentioned here https://news.gtp.gr/2020/12/28/greece-how-book-appointment-covid-19-vaccination/ each citizen’s AMKA number is necessary for their vaccination. Citizens who do not have an AMKA number can visit a local KEP office near them to apply for one.
Have you any further information on this? I am in the same situation
To the editing team:
KEP offices no longer handle AMKA registration for “foreigners”. We have been turned away from two and redirected to EYKA. EYKA turned us away too (despite presenting our S1 registration documents) and would not register us until we converted our old (beige) residency registration card to the blue biometric. We can not get an appointment to do this until the end of January and will need an AMKA as proof of medical cover to complete the process.
This is circular bureaucratic madness and is starting to look like vaccine apartheid. I am aware of no such discrimination in my home country, the UK, to which we may be compelled to return if we want to be vaccinated.
I am in the same situation. Married to a Greek with AMKA but no AMKA myself, just a valid EHIC card . Have you heard if this will be ok?
What does one do if you do not have AMKA?
As stated in the headline, Greece has only announced the basics of the vaccination procedure. Authorities are expected to announce the relevant details and finalized procedure in the coming days.
We are health insured in Holland and do not have an AMKA.
Can we still register with our EC card?
As stated in the headline, Greece has only announced the basics of the vaccination procedure. Authorities are expected to announce the relevant details and finalized procedure in the coming days.
Hi Stephen, I’m Dutch too and trying to find information about how to het the vaccine. Did you find a solution?