ATHENS — Ηealth Minister Vassilis Kikilias and Deputy Civil Protection and Crisis Management Minister Nikos Hardalias had a meeting to coordinate their efforts against Covid-19 ahead of the vaccination operation, at the National Civil Protection Operations Coordination Centre at the Faros building on Tuesday.

In statements afterward, they underscored their "excellent cooperation" and the joint effort underway to protect public health and human lives, while stressing the need for the country to keep up its efforts during this crucial stage, until the national vaccination plan can get underway.

"We must stand fast a little longer – the citizens, the workers, our society, all the institutions, the doctors and the hospitals. In this effort, the Civil Protection plays a key role," Kikilias said.

On his part, Hardalias said that the civil defence service, Kikilias' team and scientists from all over the country "had from the first moment joined forces in an effort that has deeply patriotic characteristics, against a global enemy," while stressing that "we are still in the midst of this battle."

Concluding, Hardalias said: "We look forward to the day when we have left all this behind us and we can tell the story of how we fought against an invisible enemy, which unfortunately claimed many thousands of lives but also left a legacy for the country in terms of healthcare organisation and on the level of civil defence."