Greece confirmed 4,608 new coronavirus infections on Tuesday, with 23 of these identified at entry points to the country, according to the National Public Health Organization (EODY).
There were 32 deaths recorded in the last 24 hours, bringing the total of pandemic victims to 13,466. Of these, 95.3 per cent had an underlying condition and/or were aged 70 or over.
A total of 326 patients are on ventilators in hospitals. Their median age is 65 years and 83.1 per cent have an underlying condition and/or are aged 70 or over. Another 2,926 have been discharged from ICUs since the pandemic began.
Greece’s Health Minister Vasilis Kikilias announced measures for a “smooth transition to normalcy” on Tuesday.
“Unlike in autumn last year, when humanity was confronted with COVID-19 without other defences apart from the known protection measures, this autumn each of us can protect themselves and protect others. For eight months we have had vaccines available and we have a choice that we did not have before… the hospital data for the past two months shows that we are talking about an epidemic for the unvaccinated as far as illness and intubation are concerned,” Mr Kikilias said, noting that over 90 per cent of patients in ICUs for COVID-19 were unvaccinated.
Mr Kikilias said that hospitals will no longer spaces for treating COVID-19 as a priority but serve patients with every kind of ailment and he underlined that vaccinations must continue in order to reach the 80 per cent vaccination rate, which meant that another one million citizens needed to be vaccinated.
He said the measure for the suspension of unvaccinated healthcare workers will go ahead in September as planned and that mandatory vaccination concerns both the private and public healthcare sector, including private doctors and pharmacists.
The new rules from 13 September and 31 March also mean that Greek citizens will need to provide proof of vaccination with a COVID-19 facility to enter venues, such as indoor and open-air stadiums. The unvaccinated, however, will be able to visit theatres, cinemas, museums, and archaeological sites, provided they have proof of a negative rapid test conducted within 48 hours which they will have to pay for themselves at 10 euros, except for school students who have to do two self tests per week.
Public health facilities will no longer perform free COVID-19 tests for the unvaccinated, who will have to go to private diagnostic centres.
The sanctions for failing to comply with the requirement to submit tests will be suspension from work for employees, forbidding school children to attend school and not allowing individuals access to means of travel, etc.
