Covid-19: Record Intubations, Mandatory Self Tests for Workers

Greece recorded its highest number of Covid-19 patients on ventilators Wednesday, with 809 people undergoing the intensive treatment.

This figure is seven more than the 802 patients undergoing the invasive treatment in the country yesterday, on Tuesday, which itself had set a new record for the country.

Greece recorded 3,089 cases of the coronavirus on Wednesday, which marks 944 fewer instances of Covid-19 than the 4,033 cases that had been diagnosed in the country on Tuesday.

A total of 63,710 coronavirus tests were conducted across the country during the day, bringing the positivity rate to 4.84% in Greece, down from yesterday’s rate of 5.3%.

Tragically, 81 people suffering from the coronavirus passed away in the country over the past 24-hour period, which represents 12 fewer than those who died with the virus on Tuesday.

1,383 cases of Covid-19 diagnosed Attica alone; 475 in Thessaloniki

Of the 3,089 coronavirus cases recorded in Greece in the past 24 hours, 1,383 were located in Attica, home to the Greek capital city of Athens.

Instances of the virus were particularly high in the center of the city itself, where 390 cases of Covid-19 were identified Wednesday.

Tests showed that in Thessaloniki, Greece’s second-largest city, a total of 475 cases of Covid-19 had been diagnosed in the last 24 hours.

Mandatory self tests for workers in many sectors

The Greek Minister of Labor, Kostis Hatzidakis, announced Wednesday that a large number of workers across many sectors will be required to take a self test for the coronavirus every week.

Hatzidakis explained that all those who work in the retail sector, as well as those who work in essential businesses such as supermarkets, will have to take the self test once a week.

Additionally, those who work in transport, along with those who are employed by cleaning services, will be required to conduct a weekly test.

Workers in the service industry, such as in bakeries and cafes, also must administer the Covid-19 test each week, as well as those who work in hair salons.

Hatzidakis stressed that workers who do not conduct self tests will be fined 300 euros, and if they do not report the results of their test on the government’s online platform, they will be hit with a 500 euro fine.

If a business owner allows an employee whose test came back positive to work, they will face a massive fine of 1,500 euros.

Self tests are now free and available to all Greeks at pharmacies across the country. Currently, high school teachers and students have to take the test two times each week.

Deaths with the coronavirus surpass 9,000 in Greece

Since the beginning of the pandemic, a total of 304,184 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 55 are associated with foreign travel and 2,410 have been linked to contact with a known case.

Of the 809 patients intubated currently, 83.9% are over the age of 70 or suffer from preexisting conditions. Their average age is 67.

On Wednesday alone, 562 people with the coronavirus were admitted to hospitals in Greece.

Additionally, a total of 1,912 patients have been discharged from ICUs around the country since the beginning of the pandemic.

The 81 new deaths recorded on Wednesday bring the total number of fatalities in the country to 9,135; 95.5% of those who have passed away with the virus were over the age of 70 or suffered from underlying health issues.