ATHENS, June 3 (Xinhua) -- A campaign to vaccinate against COVID-19 of asylum-seekers, refugees and migrants on Greece's mainland and islands began on Thursday, according to the country's Ministry of Migration and Asylum.
The campaign started in reception facilities on the Aegean Sea islands of Lesvos, Chios and Samos and will expand to other islands and the mainland next week, according to a press release.
Approximately 60,000 people are hosted in facilities across the country, the ministry has said recently.
To date, some 5.7 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in Greece. More than two million people have been fully vaccinated, the authorities said on Wednesday.
As the vaccination campaign progresses and the number of new infections decreases, Greece has gradually relaxed in recent weeks several of the restrictions imposed when the second lockdown in a year started on Nov. 7, 2020, and has reopened to tourism.
On Thursday, the National Public Health Organization reported 1,239 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, with one of those identified at a border crossing.
Since the pandemic began, Greece has confirmed 406,751 infections.
In the past 24 hours, the Greek authorities recorded 39 coronavirus-related deaths, bringing the cumulative death toll in the country to 12,184. Enditem
