Coronavirus Cases on the Rise Across Greece

After a period of reduced coronavirus case numbers in the country, instances of the virus are on the rise in much of Greece on Monday.

Epidemiologist Sotiris Tsiodras, who famously led the country through the worst of the pandemic, reportedly expressed his concern at increased case numbers in Attica, Crete, and the southern Aegean to Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Monday.

According to data, last week, cases of the coronavirus rose by 75% compared to the week before.

Mitsotakis himself warned that the Delta variant was already present in Greece, and could cause a significant surge in cases amongst those who have not yet received the vaccine.

“The Delta variant has already been identified in our country… we have already seen its presence, for example in Crete.”

“All those who are still unvaccinated, especially the most at-risk citizens, are at a greater risk to be infected and become very ill,” Mitsotakis stated Monday.

He urged those that have not yet been vaccinated to receive the shot.

Greece records 800 coronavirus cases, 6 deaths Monday

Greece recorded 801 new cases of the coronavirus on Monday, which marks 182 more instances of the virus than the 619 cases that had been recorded on Sunday.

Just four of Monday’s total cases was identified during routine Covid-19 testing of tourists at the country’s borders.

Currently, there are 173 patients with the coronavirus on ventilators in Greece, which is four fewer than the number of patients undergoing the invasive treatment in the country yesterday, Sunday.

Tragically, six people suffering from the coronavirus passed away in the country over the past 24-hour period.

256 cases of coronavirus diagnosed in Attica alone; 52 in Thessaloniki

Of the 801 new coronavirus cases recorded in Greece in the past 24 hours, 256 were located in Attica, home to the Greek capital city of Athens.

In the center of Athens, a total of 105 cases of Covid-19 were identified Monday.

Tests showed that in Thessaloniki, Greece’s second-largest city, a total of 27 cases of Covid-19 had been diagnosed in the last 24 hours.

New anti-coronavirus measures in place for ferry travel

Greece adopted new measures against the spread of the novel coronavirus on travel and places of entertainment starting on Monday.

As of July 5, adults in Greece that travel to islands by ferry will have to display one of the following to board a ship:

– A certificate of vaccination, completed 14 days prior to the date of travel;

– A certificate of a negative PCR test for Covid-19 taken up to 72 hours before departure;

– A certificate of a negative rapid test taken in the previous 48 hours; or

– A certificate of immunity due to prior Covid-19 infection, which is issued 30 days after the first positive test for the disease and is valid for 180 days after that date.

Over 400,000 total cases of Covid-19 in Greece

Since the beginning of the pandemic, a total of 426,963 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 109 are associated with foreign travel and 1,238 have been linked to contact with a known case.

Of the 173 patients intubated currently, 86.1% are over the age of 70 or suffer from preexisting conditions. Their average age is 67.

Additionally, a total of 2,702 patients have been discharged from ICUs around the country since the beginning of the pandemic.

The six new deaths recorded on Monday bring the total number of fatalities in the country to 12,743; 95.2% of those who have passed away with the virus were over the age of 70 or suffered from underlying health issues.