The number of cases of Covid-19 in Greece, along with the number of those on ventilators in the country, remain high as Greece moves to make the vaccine mandatory for all its citizens over the age of 60.
Greece recorded a total of 6,196 cases of Covid-19 on Wednesday, while 7,486 were recorded in the country yesterday, Tuesday.
The record for the highest number of coronavirus cases recorded in one day in Greece was broken on November 9, when 8,623 cases of Covid-19 were diagnosed.
In the past day, a total of 360,685 coronavirus tests have been administered, including both PCR and rapid tests, bringing the positivity rate in Greece down to 1.76%. This is a slight increase over yesterday’s rate, which was 1.17%.
The average age of those who have tested positive for the virus in Greece is still 38, and the average age of those who have died with the virus is still 78, showing no change over the past several days.
A total of 75 people with the virus passed away in the country on Wednesday alone; this is 13 fewer than the 88 people who died with Covid-19 in Greece on Tuesday.
Just three of Wednesday’s cases were identified during routine Covid-19 testing of travelers at the country’s borders.
Currently, there are 690 patients with the coronavirus on ventilators in Greece, which is 26 more than the 664 patients undergoing the invasive treatment in the country on Tuesday.
PM defends mandatory vaccine; most on ventilators are unvaccinated, elderly
Appointments for initial coronavirus inoculations in Greece jumped sharply in the first 24 hours after the government announced on Tuesday that vaccinations for people over 60 will be made mandatory.
According to government sources, in the last 24 hours, a total 17,500 appointments were made for the first installment of the vaccine series in the age group of 60 and over. This number comes close to 2,600 per day, meaning there was a sevenfold rise in appointments.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis defended the government’s decision to make vaccinations compulsory for all over 60-year-olds across the nation in an interview with Reuters.
“I am certain that we are following an effective policy,” Mitsotakis said, adding that the measure was “proportionate” given the lag in vaccination rates and the fact that the government had previously “tried every available means of persuasion to boost their number.”
With the measure due to be voted on in Parliament later the same day, the Prime Minister pointed out that unvaccinated elderly people currently made up 90 percent of patients occupying ICU beds in Greek state hospitals.
2,200 coronavirus cases in Attica, 1,162 in Thessaloniki
Of the 6,196 new coronavirus cases recorded in Greece in the past 24 hours, 1,845 were located in Attica, home to the Greek capital city of Athens.
A total of 454 cases of Covid-19 were identified in central Athens on Wednesday.
In Thessaloniki, the second-largest city in Greece, 1,030 cases of the virus were identified today.
Over 900,000 cases of the Covid-19 recorded in Greece
Since the beginning of the pandemic, a total of 945,095 cases of Covid-19 have been recorded in the country, including all those who have recovered from the virus.
Of the 690 patients intubated currently, 79.9% are over the age of 70 or suffer from preexisting conditions. Their average age is 64.
The majority of those who are on ventilators in Greece, or 79.71%, are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated against the coronavirus.
Additionally, a total of 3,530 patients have been discharged from ICUs around the country since the beginning of the pandemic.
The 75 new deaths recorded on Wednesday bring the total number of coronavirus-related fatalities in the country to 18,234.
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