Residents of Greece ages 70 and over can book an appointment to get their second COVID-19 booster dose this week. 

It is expected that those aged 60 and over will have a second booster shot made available to them beginning next week.

With infection rates in the country still high, Greece’s National Vaccination Committee decided in favor of offering a second booster shot.

The committee made the decision by weighing the latest epidemiological data, the period since the first booster shot and the country’s overall vaccination rate coverage, estimated at approximately 72 percent. 

An estimated 1.3 million people over age 60 are eligible for the second booster shot. 

Experts say a second booster dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine reduces the risk of hospitalization.