"The solution for ending the pandemic is in our hands, as the vaccination of the world population, to the maximum possible extent, is the way that will lead quickly and safely to its end," the newly appointed president of the National Public Health Organisation (EODY), Theoklis Zaoutis, said in an interview with the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA) released on Monday.
However, he said that even today it remains "extremely difficult to predict the evolution of the pandemic."
"The first major challenge we have to face," Zaoutis said, "is the essential job of informing the citizens about the benefits of vaccination."
 "The example of vaccinations, where international experience shows that proper information is an ally for a positive response from the citizens, is indeed a good example of the responsibility and obligation of EODY to inform citizens in a targeted and informed manner on these issues," he added.
"Reducing hospital infections and resistance to antibiotics, promoting a vaccination culture, digitising EODY services and emphasising prevention will be key pillars of our policy," he said, adding that a "road map" of this policy will be presented over the next few days.
The president of EODY also referred to the planning for ICU beds in paediatric hospitals due to the pandemic. As he explained, the situation "requires us to be ready for any case, regardless of the objectively good image we currently have regarding the operation of the schools, which I am optimistic will continue."
On the management of the pandemic, he underlined that "we were called upon to make difficult decisions, maybe some things would have had a better result if done differently, but I think the final balance is positive. We now have extensive experience and knowledge in managing such crises."