Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis got his Covid-19 booster shot on Tuesday in Athens, but he disappointed fans in not showing his bare chest, as he had when he received his second shot.
Mitsotakis had no idea that his bare-chested photograph back in January while getting his second vaccine shot against Covid-19 would go viral. But it did.
The Greek premier had received his second dose at Attikon Hospital in Athens in the presence of the press, who were happy just to be able to record the momentous event and to know that their Prime Minister would now be protected against the virus.
Little did PM Mitsotakis know, though, that by baring his chest — instead of wearing a T-shirt underneath his dress shirt — it would make half of the Greek public look elsewhere instead of his arm when taking a gander at his photo.
The image of the moment of vaccination — which had been intended to show conspiracy theorists that it is indeed safe to be vaccinated — took a completely different turn.
Mitsotakis unknowingly became the sex symbol of the day for a very appreciative female audience around the world.
The Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has taken an…unconventional approach to getting vaccinated.
One can only assume that he didn't want to crease his sleeve. https://t.co/u5JaTW74TF
— The Times (@thetimes) January 19, 2021
Booster shot for all over 50 in Greece
Greek health authorities announced in late September that booster shots against Covid-19 will be given to healthcare workers and people aged over 60. Later, they included people aged 50-59 years old and with an underlying health condition that puts them in the high-risk category.
“The increased risk for people over 60 is reflected in epidemiological data,” said Maria Theodoridou, chair of the Greek National Vaccination Committee, during a briefing on the pandemic on Monday evening.
“The percentage of patients aged 60-79 who are in special ICU beds reached 59.02% and deaths 48%.”
Marios Themistokleous, Health Ministry secretary general for Primary Health Care, specified that the third dose will be optional and vaccination will be considered complete when two doses of a jab or one for the single dose jab have been administered.
69% of Greek adults vaccinated
Health authorities in Greece have administered a total of 12,420,000 Covid-19 vaccines, with 59 percent of the general population and 69 percent of adults being fully vaccinated, General Secretary for Primary Healthcare Marios Themistokleous told Monday’s regular Health Ministry briefing.
Themistokleous said that partial coverage is slightly higher, with 62% of the general population and 71% of adults having received one dose of a vaccine.
He added that around 120,000 citizens have already received a booster shot and some 50,000 have booked an appointment to do so.
On August 30, full vaccination coverage stood at 55% for the overall population and 64% for the country’s adults, while partial coverage stood at 57% and 67% respectively.
Booster shot side effects similar to original vaccine
The side effects that are produced as a result of a booster shot are similar to those that occurred after original coronavirus vaccinations, according to a recent study by the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
The CDC says that the most common side effects experienced after the third shot do not appear to be any different from those already noted in the initial round of inoculations.
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