Covid-19: Greece Records 2,219 Cases, Vaccinations Surpass 1 Million

Greece recorded a total of 2,219 cases of Covid-19 on Thursday, out of the total 55,702 coronavirus tests that were conducted across the country during the day, bringing the positivity rate to 3.98% in Greece.

The current figure represents 484 fewer than the 2,703 instances of the coronavirus that were diagnosed in Greece on Wednesday, just one day before.

Health officials are alarmed at not only the increasing rate of transmission in Greece, but also the number of people with the virus who require intubation, which came to 449 on Thursday — 18 more than the 431 recorded on Wednesday.

This marks the highest amount of intubated patients in the country since early January.

The influx of patients undergoing the intensive treatment, which involves placing a tube down a person’s throat to assist in breathing, has put immense pressure on the country’s hospitals and has left very few hospital beds available for others.

Tragically, 35 people with the coronavirus passed away in the country over the past 24-hour period, which is five fewer than those who died with the virus on Wednesday.

Vaccinations in Greece surpass 1 million

Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced today, however, that over 1 million doses of the vaccine against the coronavirus have been distributed in Greece as of Thursday.

Lauding the vaccine as a weapon against the virus, Mitsotakis asserted that Greece is “at the beginning of the end” of the pandemic.

“With every week that passes, we build a wall of immunity that will allow us to leave this experience behind us,” Mitsotakis stated.

Despite expressing optimism at the progress of the country’s inoculation campaign, Mitsotakis acknowledged the recent uptick in cases and the heavy burden placed on the country’s hospitals.

He cited variants of the coronavirus for the increase in transmission in Greece, saying: “Mutations, and especially the British one, which is now predominant in our country, are highly contagious.

“That is why, lately, we are seeing an increase in cases and the National Health System under siege. We respond to this attack by further strengthening our hospitals, primarily in Attica, where we have the biggest problem,” the PM declared.

1,051 cases of Covid-19 diagnosed in Attica alone; 257 in Thessaloniki

Of the 2,219 coronavirus cases recorded in Greece in the past 24 hours, 1,051 were located in Attica alone, home to the city of Athens.

In Piraeus, the port of Athens, 195 instances of the virus were diagnosed.

Instances of the virus were particularly high in the center of the city itself, where 254 cases of Covid-19 were identified.

Tests showed that in Thessaloniki, Greece’s second-largest city, a total of 257 cases of Covid-19 were diagnosed in the last 24 hours.

Total 199,496 coronavirus cases in Greece since the start of the pandemic

Since the beginning of the pandemic, a total of 199,496 cases of Covid-19 have been recorded in the country, including all those who have recovered from the virus.

Of the cases diagnosed in Greece in the past seven days, just 70 are associated with foreign travel and 2,695 have been linked to contact with a known case.

Of the 449 patients intubated currently, 85.1% are over the age of 70 or suffer from preexisting conditions. Their average age is 68.

Additionally, a total of 1,389 patients have been discharged from ICUs around the country since the beginning of the pandemic.

The 35 new deaths recorded on Thursday bring the total number of fatalities in the country to 6,632, and 95.7% of those who have passed away with the virus were over the age of 70 or suffered from underlying health issues.