Young Greeks Rush to Get Coronavirus Vaccinations

Greeks aged 30-44 are now eligible to receive the coronavirus vaccine, and beginning on Saturday, those who are 45-49 will be able to make appointments to get the shot; judging from the interest shown so far, it appears vaccinations in these age groups will be very much sought-after.

On Thursday alone, when vaccination appointments first became available for Greeks who are 40 to 44 years old, a total of 66,210 people reserved a spot for the shot. Of this total, 32,547 made an appointment for their first dose of the vaccine.

In total, 3,075,698 coronavirus vaccines have been administered in Greece, of which over two million were the first dose of the shot, and just under one million were the second dose.

Greek PM: “Young people are paving the way” to ending the pandemic

Greeks aged 30-44 who choose to get vaccinated now will only receive the AstraZeneca shot, but those who are 45-49 can receive any of the four vaccines currently approved for use in Greece — AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson, which will arrive in May.

Greek PM Mitsotakis visited a vaccination center in the seaside town of Rafina, outside of Athens, on Friday, where he praised young Greeks who have chosen to become vaccinated:

“We are happy because young people are paving the way, as this is the only way we will be done with this, by all of us becoming vaccinated.”

“The best vaccine is the vaccine that we do the quickest,” Mitsotakis continued.

2,155 coronavirus cases, 802 intubations, 66 deaths in Greece

Greece recorded 2,155 new cases of the coronavirus on Friday — 280 fewer cases than those recorded on Thursday.

Additionally, the country recorded 802 patients with Covid-19 on ventilators on Friday, which is 15 fewer than the 817 patients undergoing the invasive treatment in the country yesterday, Thursday.

A total of 56,469 coronavirus tests were conducted across the country during the day.

On Thursday, Greece had a positivity rate of 3.49%, which is the lowest it’s been this week.

Tragically, 66 people suffering from the coronavirus passed away in the country over the past 24-hour period, which represents seven fewer individuals than those who died with the virus on Thursday.

1,009 cases of the coronavirus diagnosed in Attica alone; 314 in Thessaloniki

Of the 2,155 new coronavirus cases recorded in Greece in the past 24 hours, 1,009 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 286 cases of Covid-19 were identified Friday.

Tests showed that in Thessaloniki, Greece’s second-largest city, a total of 314 cases of Covid-19 had been diagnosed in the last 24 hours.

Over 10,000 total coronavirus deaths in Greece

Since the beginning of the pandemic, a total of 345,033 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 51 are associated with foreign travel and 2,109 have been linked to contact with a known case.

On Friday alone, 419 people with the coronavirus were admitted to hospitals in Greece.

Of the 802 patients intubated currently, 84.5% are over the age of 70 or suffer from preexisting conditions. Their average age is 68.

Additionally, a total of 2,121 patients have been discharged from ICUs around the country since the beginning of the pandemic.

The 66 new deaths recorded on Friday bring the total number of fatalities in the country to 10,381; 95.4% of those who have passed away with the virus were over the age of 70 or suffered from underlying health issues.

The average age of those who have tragically died with the coronavirus in Greece is 78 years.