Experts worry that the spread of Covid-19 in Greece will be wider due to overcrowding on islands and the Panagia, or Dormition of the Virgin Mary, celebrations on August 15.
With 37,000 new cases in August so far, Covid-19 infections are on a sharp rise in Greece. At the same time, the number of vaccinations has dropped.
Experts are concerned about the increase in cases and the high percentage of positivity on the Greek islands, mainly on Mykonos, Paros, Naxos and Ikaria.
Authorities are considering the possibility of imposing more restrictive local measures in areas in addition to Chania and Heraklion, where emergency measures are already in force.
Gikas Majorkinis, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and a member of the Infectious Diseases Committee of the Greek Ministry of Health, said on Friday that implementation of restrictive measures will depend on two main factors:
The first is the number of cases and the spread of the virus in the last 15-20 days and the second is the ability of the health facilities to cope in the particular islands.
Wide dispersion of Covid-19 on certain islands
Indicative of the wide dispersion of Covid-19 in Greece — and especially on the islands — is the number of cases from the beginning of August until Friday:
According to the National Public Health Organization (EODY), more than 37,000 Covid-19 cases have been recorded, along with 210 deaths and 235 intubations in 13 days.
However, although the epidemiological load is equivalent to that of the third wave of Covid-19 in Greece, the number of hospitalizations, intubations and deaths is lower.
In Friday’s Ministry of Health briefing, member of the Committee of Experts, Dr Charalambos Gogos said that these numbers are approximately 60-80 of those that had occurred earlier — which is attributed to the vaccination campaign.
Minister of State Akis Skertsos, said that thanks to vaccination and extensive testing, the pressure on the health system is 3-4 times less than was seen in previous waves.
Scientists continue to stress the need for vaccination, especially for young people who travel and move more than others, in order to build the desired “wall of immunity” against Covid-19.
However the August 15 celebrations for the Dormition of the Virgin Mary across Greece remains a great cause of concern for epidemiologists.
3,270 new Covid-19 cases in Greece
The National Public Health Organization announced 3,270 new Covid-19 cases in Greece on Saturday.
In the past 24 hours, 24 people died with the death toll from the beginning of the pandemic reaching 13,206 people.
At the same time, 236 patients are currently intubated in Intensive Care Units.
Of the 3,270 cases, 16 were identified after checks at the country’s gates. The total number of Covid-19 cases in Greece amounts to 535,237 (daily change + 0.6 percent), of which 51.2 percent are men.
Based on the confirmed cases of the last seven days, 124 are considered to be related to travel from abroad and 2,336 are related to an already known case.
The number of patients treated by intubation is 236 (63.6 percent are men). Their median age is 65 years, with 85.6 percent of them having an underlying disease and / or being 70 years old and above.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, 2,873 patients have been discharged from ICU.
The admission of new coronavirus patients to hospitals across Greece is 285 (daily change + 11.76 percent%).
The average seven-day hospital admission is 231 patients. The median age of cases is 40 years (range 0.2 to 106 years), while the median age of the deceased is 78 years (range 0.2 to 106 years).
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
