New COVID-19 cases in Greece continued to rise in the week of September 26th to October 2nd, according to the weekly report by the National Public Health Organization (EODY).
EODY confirmed 54,649 new cases, which represents an increase of 22 percent in relation to the previous week when 44,775 cases were confirmed.
This is equivalent to 5,238 coronavirus cases per one million people. Of the new infections, twenty-five percent were reinfections. All confirmed infections since the pandemic began add up to 4,975,067.
According to EODY, a total of 1,073 COVID-19 patients were admitted to the hospital during the week of September 26th to October 2nd. This represents a more than 30 percent increase in relation to the previous week.
The total number of COVID-19 patients discharged from hospitals for the same week was 858.
In addition, 66 hospital patients were on ventilators on October 2nd. Their median age is seventy years, and 95.5 percent have an underlying condition and/or are aged 70 or over.
During the week of September 26th to October 2nd, there were also 85 deaths from COVID-19, or eight deaths per one million people (weekly change: -15 percent), bringing the total of pandemic victims since the pandemic began to 33,200.
Of the people who passed away, 96 percent had an underlying condition and/or were aged 70 or over.
Updated booster shots for COVID-19 administered in Greece
The new updated booster shots of the COVID-19 vaccine, which target the sub-variants BA.4, BA.5, and Omicron in addition to the original SARS-CoV-2 virus first identified in China, have begun to be administered in Greece on Monday.
The online platform for booking appointments for a booster has been available since September 27th, with 12,185 appointments scheduled by September 28th.
Vaccinations using the updated BA.1 booster, which was approved by the EMA on September 1st, began on September 14th, and 41,839 doses were administered by September 28th of which 31,499 were second booster shots, 4,338 were first booster shots, and 5,997 were third booster shots.
The updated vaccines are only designed for use as booster shots, so basic vaccination must first be completed before the updated bivalent vaccine can be administered.
Experts in Greece recommend getting updated vaccines to boost immunity and prevent serious disease, stressing that prompt vaccination is more important than the type of vaccine given.
It is strongly recommended for persons over 60, individuals aged 12 to 59 that are in a high-risk group based on their doctor’s orders, those who live or work in care homes, health professionals, those living with individuals who are immunosuppressed or have some other underlying ailment, and those caring for people with ailments that increase the risk of complications from COVID-19.
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