Greece confirmed 1,410 new coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours, the National Public Health Organization (EODY) said on Friday. There were no infections identified during the checks at entry points to the country, it added.

All confirmed coronavirus in Greece total 170,244. Of these, 6,086 are linked to travel abroad and 54,695 to already confirmed cases.

A total of 293 people are intubated in hospitals. Their median age is 70 years, 86.3 percent have an underlying condition or are aged 70 or more, and 213 are men.

From the start of the pandemic, 1,204 have been discharged from Intensive Care Units.

EODY also announced 21 new deaths due to Covid-19 in Greece. As of the pandemic’s outbreak in Greece, 6,077 people have lost their lives due to the coronavirus. Their median age was 79 years and 95.6 pct had an underlying condition and/or were aged 70 or more. Of the deceased, 3,574 were men.

Retailers, schools to shut down at Achaia, Evia regions through Feb. 22, says Hardalias

The retail sectors and schools will be shut down in the regions of Achaia (Peloponnese) and Evia (central Greece) as of Saturday through February 22, said Nikos Hardalias, deputy minister for Civil Protection & Crisis Management on Friday.

At a regular live briefing, Hardalias added that these areas are considered high-risk regions because of their high epidemiological load.

The restrictions for the region of Evia will not include the island of Skyros.

Another group of regions were declared ‘high-risk’ as of Saturday (Feb. 13) through February 22: the municipalities of Eordea, Thiva, Tanagra, Sparta, Pydna-Kolindros, Andravida-Kyllini, Tempi, and the islands of Kalymnos and Karpathos, Zakynthos and on Crete the city of Rethymno.

The regions of Thessaloniki and Chalkidiki will retain their high-risk status through February 22, as will Agios Nikolaos on Crete, and the towns of Thera on Santorini and Mykonos proper.

The situation on the island of Lesvos has improved, therefore the high-risk restriction measures will not be extended, and the region will be downgraded to a supervised status (yellow zone) as of Monday, February 15.

On another issue, Hardalias clarified that doctors, lawyers, and other professionals must carry their professional union IDs to be able to move freely, while journalists must be able to provide a letter permit issued by their employer.

Attica ICU bed occupancy at 83 pct

The dispersion rate of the novel coronavirus remains high in Greece – especially in Attica Region, where active infections total 5,100 – and this fact has heightened the concerns of scientists, pediatric infectious diseases doctor Vana Papaevangelou said on Friday.

During a regular live briefing, the member of the Health Ministry’s coronavirus experts committee said that during the past week the average rate of new infections was 11 per 100,000 population. Nationally, active infections are estimated at around 10,000 in total, while their real number is higher if those without symptoms are added.

The average positivity of diagnostic tests has risen to 2.8 percent, she noted, while the infection rate of those aged 20-60 has also risen. As she pointed out, this is the age group that is most frequently out and about.

As far as current data is concerned, she said that a total of 1,900 people have been hospitalized with Covid-19. Hospital admissions rates have reached 200 per day on a national level and the number of people on ventilators has rise by 67 pct. In Attica Region, the current occupancy of Covid-19 beds in ICUs is 83 pct.

Another committee member and infectious disease specialist, Gkikas Magiorkinis, said at the same briefing that, according to preliminary data, additional restrictive measures in Attica Region – including the Athens metropolis – have begun to show results, but this will become clearer in around 10 days.

Magiorkinis said a mild rise was expected in ICU admissions in the next two weeks. In Thessaloniki, infections are showing a stabilizing trend, and hospitalization rates are not expected to rise abruptly.

Meanwhile, the number of diagnostic tests (both rapid and molecular/PCR ones) have been increasing on a per-day basis, Alternate Health Education Minister Vassilis Kondozamanis said at the briefing. Compared to January, the number of PCR tests in February have risen by 84 pct.

Rapid-result tests are not of lesser quality, “on the contrary, the fact someone will get the result within 15 minutes,” leading to a direct change in behavior, is beneficial in itself, Magiorkinis clarified in response to a question later on.

500,000 vaccinations

Greece on Friday surpassed the threshold of 500,000 coronavirus vaccinations, while vaccination rates keep accelerating, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis wrote on Twitter on Friday.

Source: ANA-MPA