ATHENS — Greece participates in the agreement for the pre-emption of the vaccine against the coronavirus and will receive it share according to the agreement between EU and the pharmaceutical company Astra Zeneca if the under development vaccine passes successfully the necessary trials, clarified Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis during a meeting on the coronavirus adding that the best scenarios is the vaccine to arrive in Greece at the end of 2020.

Mitsotakis said that the European Union has been authorised by the member states to make preemption agreements with vaccine manufacturers and last Friday it agreed with AstraZeneca which works together with Oxford University and has developed one of the most promising vaccines for the pre-purchase of 300 vaccine doses with the potential of purchasing 100 million additional doses.

Mitsotakis said that there are other vaccines in advanced trial stages which would be possible available in European countries including Greece but what is absolutely certain is that there will not be a vaccine until the end of December 2020.

On the spread of the coronavirus he said that the government has already announced a package of measures against the spread of the virus "We are ready to review and further enhance these measures always according to the real facts which we release every day with total transparency" he said.

In the meeting participated Health Minister Vassilis Kikilias, Tourism Minister Haris Theocharis, State Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis, Deputy Civil Protection Minister Nikos Hardalias, Deputy Health Minister Vassilis Kontozamanis, Deputy Health Minister for Mental Health issues Zoe Rapti, Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister responsible for the coordination of the government's work Akis Skertsos, Deputy Minister and government spokesman Stelios Petsas, the prime minister general secretary Grigoris Dimitriadis, the Health Ministry representative for the coronavirus Professor Sotiris Tsiodras, the National Health Organisation president Panagiotis Arkoumaneas and other officials.