Only ten per cent of the 9,000 vaccination appointments arranged so far by people aged 47-48 concern AstraZeneca, it emerged early on Thursday.

Between the opening of the vaccination portal at 7.30 to 9am, the cohort booked 9,000 out of the 13,900 appointments available, the Cyprus News Agency reported.

Some 8,030 appointments concerned the Pfizer coronavirus jab, while only 970 people chose the AstraZeneca vaccine, which has been linked to very rare cases of blood clots.

The portal will remain open until 8pm, as the health ministry announced that from now on appointments will be made available for specific age groups for a single day to boost the country’s vaccination plan.

People aged 45-46 will be able to arrange a coronavirus vaccination at 7.30am to 8pm on Friday, while the portal will open during the same hours on Saturday for 57- and 58-year-olds.

On Sunday, the portal will open again at 7.30 am to 8pm for the 59 to 60 age group.

The health ministry announced that the portal will reopen at a later stage for those who failed to book an appointment the first time their age group was prioritised.

Cyprus administrated 219,654 anti-Covid vaccines as of April 20, with 58,265 people having received both doses and completed their vaccination. The data translates to 25 vaccine doses per 100 residents.